Shattered Façade
by zoey04
Summary: After being disowned by his homophobic father during his senior year of high school, Eren's only option was to move in with his boyfriend, Reiner. But Reiner soon became possessive and controlling of Eren, and it turned into an abusive relationship. Five years later, Reiner's control over Eren is complete, until one night they meet a detective who will shatter Eren's happy façade.
1. A Chance Encounter

**I'm alive! No, college hasn't killed me yet! Although, it is trying very hard. But luckily I've had time to pound out this new creation. Introducing my newest obsession: Shingeki no Kyojin! More specifically... LEVI! *drool* I apologize to all of you that follow me for my GW fiction and were expecting more 1X2 from me, but hopefully you all like SnK and LevixEren (Riren, Ereri, whichever you call it XD).**

****Oh, and I'll add a warning for smut here *yes, I finally wrote smut ._. and let's just say I am very nervous about posting it. Hopefully it's not too horrible* It's really brief and not too detailed in this chapter, but later chapters will be much more in depth.****

****ALSO I'll warn about triggers for this fic, including rape/non-con, domestic violence, physical/emotional/verbal abuse, self harm, etc. So please read with caution.****

**Anyways I'll stop rambling now and just let you read for yourself. Hopefully you all enjoy my SnK as much as you liked my GW fiction.**

**PS: I looked over some of my old stuff and I have to say that I'm a little embarrassed at how poorly written it was. I'd like to think my writing has improved tenfold compared to even my most recent fics. Let me know your feedback as well. Thanks :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: A Chance Encounter<strong>

The hard bound college textbook sits heavy in my lap as I lay across our bed. Reiner is still at work. It's the only time I'm allowed to read these books. Reiner convinced me during high school that I didn't need to go to college. He said he would take care of me. He went to college, he got his criminology degree, and now he's starting his career as a federal law enforcement officer. If he ever caught me with Armin's old textbooks, he's be very mad. I don't want to make him mad, I just want to learn, to be as smart as him.

I look up at the clock to see that it's almost six. Reiner has the day shift today, so he'll be home soon, and he'll expect dinner to be ready for him when he gets here. Climbing off the bed, I hide the textbook under a loose floorboard with the others and head into the kitchen to start cooking. My stomach still aches a little from when he hit me last night. The bruise is a deep purple today, the size of a grapefruit just under my ribs, to the left of my navel. I deserved it though. I said 'no'. I'm not allowed to say that about anything, especially sex. I should know that by now, so I deserved to be hit. I mean, I owe him, right? He took me in when my father threw me out. He's taking care of me now, since I can't survive on my own. I owe him.

Fifteen minutes later, I'm almost finished heating up leftovers from dinner last night. Titan, our German Shepherd, lays by my feet on the floor as I stand over the stovetop. He's really Reiner's dog, and the house is in his name, the furniture is all his, everything is his, which he constantly likes to remind me of, but the dog seems to prefer my company over his whenever we're both in the house. I like to talk to Titan because I can say whatever I want to him and he won't hurt me, and he won't tell Reiner.

The sound of car tires by the side of the house lets me know that Reiner is home. I look out the kitchen window and watch him pull the car around into the garage behind the house. Titan lifts his head, then stands and trots over to the sliding glass doors to watch for Reiner. My stomach tightens and I quickly look down at the pot on the stove when I see Reiner step out of the garage. Being near him always makes me tense. I never know when I'm going to mess something up, or say the wrong thing, and get hit. He doesn't deserve to have such a fearful partner, but I can't help it.

The door slides open and Titan sniffs around his leg for a second before sauntering back over to me to lay against the back of my legs.

"Dinner is just about ready," I tell him, trying to keep my voice from sounding timid. It's a daily struggle, one that I've perfected over the years.

His lips turn down in a frown and he strides up to me, and his open hand connects with my left cheek with a resounding _slap_. I didn't even have time to raise a hand to protect myself, or even flinch away from his offending hand. And just as quickly as he reached me, he's striding away, leaving me to rub at my stinging cheek.

"I told you to have dinner ready _before_ I got home," he snaps as he leaves the kitchen.

"Sorry," I murmur, still holding a hand to my face. _Don't cry_, I murmur to myself. _Crying will just make it worse._

Dinner is a tense affair, just as it always is. Reiner isn't much of a talker, unless he's either telling me that I did something wrong or reminding me how much I owe him. I don't like silence. When people are silent, they can focus more on your body language instead of your words, and body language is hard to fake, hard to alter. It's the one truth about a person when their words are lies. I've become very good at reading body language. Sometimes it's the only warning I have before the pain comes, before Reiner lashes out at me. Silence is dangerous. I can't hide behind silence. But words, I can hide behind. So when the silence at the dinner table gets to be too much, I decide to speak up.

"How was work?" I ask him, but don't look up from my plate.

"It was fine," he replies. He never says much about work. It's a whole different world for him. At work he's a powerful federal agent who totes a gun and a shiny badge and can change people's lives forever. After work, he has to come home to me. I'm the only person here that he can control. I'm just the domestic partner he keeps locked away in his house to beat on whenever he needs to relieve stress. "Was your day productive?"

It's never 'how was your day?'. It's always 'were you productive?', 'did you finish your chores?', 'what did you fuck up today?' or 'I hope you didn't sit on your ass all day'. I'm used to it. It is my responsibility after all, to make sure everything is always perfect for him.

"It was," I respond. "I finished the laundry, weeded the backyard, and vacuumed all the carpets. We're running low on groceries though."

"Good. I'll take you to the grocery store and the dry cleaners the day after tomorrow after my shift," he says.

I nod. When he finishes eating, I clear the dishes and immediately set to washing them. He doesn't like when dirty dishes stay in the sink for any length of time. I'm about halfway through when I hear him step out the front door, most likely to go get the mail. He doesn't like me getting it for him. He says that I don't need to know who's sending him things. The door closes behind him, and only a second later it flies back open. I hear it slam against the wall. I flinch, nearly dropping the soapy plate in my hands.

"Eren!" he yells from the entryway, and his harsh voice makes me flinch again. It's never anything good that comes from that tone. It's usually pain. "Get your ass out here!"

I swallow hard, slowly lowering my sponge into the soapy water before drying my hands and leaving the kitchen. My heart is a jack hammer in my chest, trying to punch through my rib cage. It's usually like this around Reiner though. I'm surprised I haven't had a heart attack, even at my young age of twenty- three.

Reiner is standing on the front steps of the house, under the small overhang. His fists are clenched at his sides and his face is getting red, like it does when he's angry. I hesitantly step outside to see what I did wrong this time. He grabs the back of my neck and drags me down the two steps, throwing me onto the stone walkway that bisects our front lawn. I feel my elbow and the palm of my hand scrape against the stepping stones. Looking up from the ground, my eyes immediately find the reason why Reiner is mad. The small tree that sits in the middle of the lawn has a branch laying at its base, the end cracked and splintered. It must've fallen.

"Why didn't you pick that up?!" he demands of me, his tone seething, making a shiver roll down my spine.

I start to get up, but his foot slamming into my side keeps me on the ground. He kicks me again and I start to cover my head with my arms, but a movement across the street catches both of our eyes. It's a man, one I've never seen in this neighborhood before. He's wearing black basketball shorts and a white T-shirt. His pitch black hair is cut in a military style undercut, except that the longer hair is actually quite long, nearly covering the undercut and hanging in his eyes. His face is set in an uninterested expression, his eyes bored and his lips turned down ever so slightly. He looks short, but he carries himself as with a silent confidence. A pair of earphones snakes up out of the collar of his shirt to sit in each ear and I can see a chain hanging around his neck and tucked down his shirt. He looks completely lost to the world around him, enjoying his run and his music. And as I lay here on the ground under Reiner's boot, I admire how very good looking the man is.

He suddenly looks over at us and does a quick double take, ripping his earphones out of his ears. He changes direction, crossing the street and heading straight towards us. Dammit, he shouldn't get involved. He'll just get himself hurt. And Reiner is a federal agent. The people that aren't intimidated by his size are always intimidated by that. I'm just glad that he doesn't keep his gun at home, that he leaves it at the office. Reiner sees him running towards us and doesn't kick me again, but he doesn't back away from me. I keep my eyes on the man, and his intense grey eyes flash down to me before looking up at Reiner as he approaches. He reaches into his shirt, grabbing the chain, and my eyes widen when he pulls it out from underneath his shirt to reveal a badge hanging on the end. He's a cop.

I quickly get to my feet. This can't be happening. Did he see? Is he going to arrest Reiner? He can't arrest Reiner. It was my fault that he's upset, I deserved to be kicked. And I can't survive on my own. I depend on Reiner for everything.

"Police," the man declares. His voice is deeper than I expected for a man of his short stature, but it's a soothing voice, and I find that I really like it. Despite the situation we're in at the moment, it calms me. "What is going on here?"

Reiner snorts, looking down on the much shorter officer. He reaches into the back pocket of his jeans to pull out his own badge. I look between the two, holding my aching arm to my chest as he flashes it at the officer. I silently beg for the officer to turn around and leave us alone. I don't want him to get hurt. There is no way he can best Reiner if it became physical. Reiner is so much bigger than he is.

"I have one of those too, Shorty," Reiner snaps at him. "Now mind your own fucking business and get out of here."

The officer ignores Reiner and looks at me. His eyes lock with mine for a very brief moment before they look me over. "Are you alright?"

"He's fine," Reiner answers for me, moving to step between the officer and I.

"Did he hurt you?" the officer persists, peering around Reiner's large frame. "He can't hide behind that badge if he did."

Reiner exhales in frustration, taking a step back so that I have a clear view of the officer and the officer has a clear view of me. "Tell him you're fine, Eren," he demands. "Tell him I didn't hurt you."

I stutter, not used to be suddenly put on the spot like that. Whenever I'm with Reiner around other people, he tells me to be silent. I'm just a pretty face, after all. No one wants to hear me talk. But now he's demanding that I say something. After a long moment and a snort of derision from Reiner at my weakness, I finally manage to find my voice. "He didn't hurt me." The lie comes out of my mouth so easily. I'm used to lying to people. I lie to Armin, to Mikasa, to Reiner's friends Annie and Bertolt. I lie to everyone. So why does lying to this officer make me feel so... guilty?

The officer frowns at me, then turns the darkest glare I've ever seen in my life to Reiner. If looks could kill... Why is this officer so upset about this? Does he not like that Reiner is hiding behind a badge? It can't be because he cares about me. Nobody cares about me. Why would they? I'm just a worthless piece of property. Nobody cares if you kick a piece of furniture, so why care if Reiner kicks me?

"Unfortunately I didn't see anything, and since the boy won't make a complaint, I can't arrest you. But consider this a warning. Your shiny federal badge doesn't scare me, and if ever I get enough evidence to prove you've been using it to cover up a crime, I will personally see that you lose that shitty shield of yours and that your pompous ass gets thrown in prison," the officer threatens Reiner, and I genuinely begin to fear for his life.

Reiner snorts and grabs my arm. "Get inside," he demands of me.

Before he can pull me away though, the officer reaches into the pocket of his shorts and pulls out a business card. So he carries his badge and business cards when he goes on a run? The little detail catches my attention as he also pulls a pen out of his pocket and scribbles something onto the back of the card.

"On the front is the department number and my personal department line. My private cell and home numbers are on the back. Call me if you need anything, no matter what it is, night or day," he says, and his dark tone is suddenly softer. He holds out the card to me but I don't immediately reach for it, and am glad I don't when Reiner snatches it away from the cop.

"He won't be needing your assistance, _Officer_," he sneers, tearing the card in half and turning on his heels. He drags me with him, back into the house. I look back over my shoulder before the door closes though to see that the officer is still standing there in the middle of our walkway, staring after me.

When the door is slammed shut, Reiner drags me into the kitchen. "Finish cleaning those dishes. You can leave the yard for tomorrow, but it better be done before I get home from work."

I nod, and Reiner tosses the two halves of the officer's business card into the trash before leaving the kitchen, grumbling something about nosy cops. I stand there for a long moment, listening to his heavy footsteps fade away in the direction of the living room. I had genuinely been expecting him to hit me. Maybe the officer got under his skin a little. Silently, I sneak over to the trash and pull out the two pieces of thick paper. Holding them together, I read the name printed in tiny letters across the front.

_Detective Levi Ackerman  
>Trost Police Department, 3rd Precinct<em>

So he's a detective? Those have higher ranks than standard police officers, don't they? I flip the pieces over and read, in a very clear and elegant script, the two telephone numbers he wrote there. Police officers don't give out their private numbers very often, do they? So why did this detective? Why does he care about me so much? I don't deserve it. I'm trash, garbage. That's why Reiner has to beat me all the time. I'm worthless and pathetic, so why did that detective try so hard to help me?

I shove the two halves of the business card into my pocket, then head back to the sink to finish cleaning the dishes. Whatever the reason may be, that detective, Levi, cared about me enough to give me his private phone number. Both of them. And that thought alone is enough to make me smile.

...

The next morning, I get up when Reiner gets up at six in the morning, as usual. Even on the days he doesn't work or has a night shift either the night before or after and he sleeps in, I don't. I can't. There is too much to do. And I prefer to run in the mornings, bright and early before it gets too hot. Reiner makes me run every day, as well as complete some other basic, muscles building exercises. He's demanded that I stay fit and attractive for him, both to make the energy he puts into me worth it and so he can show me off to his friends and in public as his cute arm candy.

I leave the house late this morning, however. Reiner accidentally dropped the coffee pot and it shattered on the floor of the kitchen, and I needed to clean it up while fending off Titan, who insisted on investigating. Usually I leave for my run right after I get up, but this morning I'm stepping out of the front door with Titan in tow as Reiner pulls out of the driveway and races down the road at six thirty. I'm standing on the sidewalk in front of my house, stretching one arm while trying to find a good playlist on my iPod when the sound of running feet makes me look up.

It's Levi. He's running down the sidewalk on the other side of the small residential street from me, wearing a black tank top and dark grey basketball shorts. The chain carrying his badge is still around his neck and earphones sit snug in his ears. He's running from the opposite direction he was running last night. This morning, he seems more tired and more sweaty than he had last night. He must be reaching the end of his run.

Levi notices me and I quickly look down at my iPod. I can feel color burn on my cheeks at being caught staring. The footsteps grow closer and I look up out of curiosity to see the detective running towards me. Titan barks once at the detective's approach, but my hand on his head quiets him. Levi slows to a walk when he reaches the sidewalk, and pulls his earphones out of his ears.

"Good morning, Detective," I greet, offering him a kind smile, one that hides the pain and hurt and turmoil, one that I've perfected over the years.

"Just call me Levi," he insists.

He's breathing hard, and his bangs cling to his forehead. His cheeks are flushed from the workout. As I stare at the man in front of me, I can't help but think about how very handsome he is, even sweaty from his morning run. Now that Reiner isn't standing beside me, and I'm not worried that he'll hurt the much smaller man, I can actually look at him up close and in person. His tank top shows off well toned arms, although not so defined like Reiner's, but Reiner's arms are too much. My eyes trace up his arms to his prominent collar bones and up the lines of his neck to the strong, yet soft features of his face. He looks older than I am, but not considerably older. I'd guess him to be in his mid to late twenties. His grey eyes are very intense, and they show all the passion and emotion that is lost in his calculated, bored expression.

"How are you... Eren, is it?" he asks, kneeling down so that he can pet Titan and play with his ears. His eyes stay on me, though.

"Yes, Eren, and I am well," I say. For once that's not too much of a lie. I was quick to pick up the mess Reiner made this morning, so he was pleased and didn't hit me. My arm and stomach and side are still sore from yesterday and the night before, but the pain is minimal. I'm used to living with pain, so after it gets down to a certain level, I barely even notice it anymore.

"Are you sure about that?" he asks. "I'm a detective, Eren. I can read people very well."

W-What? Has my mask slipped? Nobody has ever seen through it before. If Levi keeps pushing, keeps prodding, and he sees any more behind my slipping mask, Reiner will kill me. He'll think that I'm telling the detective on purpose. Levi is dangerous for me. But for some reason, I don't want to push him away. I don't want to shut him out. I want to let him in. I want to tell him everything. Maybe he can take me away from Reiner. Maybe he can-

No. Reiner deserves so much better than someone like me, who entertains the thought of betraying him. I owe him everything. I can't betray him like this. I need to put this detective behind me.

"I really should be going," I tell the detective, moving around him. "Come, Titan."

"Wait," Levi says, standing and grabbing my wrist. My involuntary flinch embarrasses me. Levi sees it and quickly releases my wrist. "Please, Eren, promise you'll call me if you need anything from me. You don't need to live like this."

He's reaching into his pocket, most likely to get another business card. I stop him though with a dismissive wave of my hand as I start to back down the sidewalk. "Live like what? I'm happy." I plaster on my much practiced smile. "My partner treats me well. I won't betray him."

He doesn't say anything, and I turn my back to him, but I hesitate and look back over my shoulder at the shorter man. "And I already have your business card. I fished it out of the trash."

I don't wait for a reply, or any form of acknowledgement. I turn my music on and start to run, Titan following on my heels, leaving Levi behind.

This detective obviously is wanting to help me, without even knowing the extent of the situation I'm in, and it makes a warm feeling spread through my body that has me feeling good all day. I go through the rest of my exercises and chores, humming and smiling. It's been a long time since someone has cared about me. Well, I know Reiner cares about me. That's why I'm still here, living with him, in his house. That's why he's still taking care of me. But this feels different, and I like it.

I think about what Levi said to me, that I should call him if I need anything. But how could I do that? It'd have to be when Reiner wasn't home, and it'd have to be on the house phone. Reiner checks my cell phone almost every night to monitor who I talk to. He only tolerates calls and texts to and from Mikasa and Armin. Jean tried to call me once a year or so back to ask if he could borrow some tools because he was renovating his kitchen, and Reiner had gotten so mad, accusing me of cheating on him. He called Jean right up to tell him never to call me again, and then he taught me my lesson with his fists.

I shake away the disturbing thoughts as I continue with my chores. Around six o'clock, about the time Reiner is supposed to get off work, I feel my phone vibrate in my back pocket. I pull it out to see a text from Reiner.

**From: Reiner Braun  
>We're going out tonight. Make yourself look presentable and I'll pick you up in an hour. Don't keep me waiting.<br>6:03PM**

I type out a quick reply, then head upstairs to the bedroom to shower and find something to wear. When he tells me to look presentable, it's usually because we're going out to a nice restaurant or to a party, which means I need to find something nice. Looking though the closet, I pull out a light blue, tight fitting satin shirt with a light green pattern down the left side that swirls across the stomach. It's a long sleeved shirt, so it'll hide the bruises on my arms. And it's Reiner's favorite, as it brings out my eyes and hugs my body nicely. I match it with black, skin tight pants that show off my long, and not too muscled legs. Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, I make sure I have no marks on my face or neck, then try to get my hair into some sort of order. Reiner usually likes it a little messy though. He says it makes me look sexual and appealing.

Grabbing my dress shoes by the heels, I take them downstairs to place them by the front door. I feed Titan, then usher him into the backyard before pulling on my shoes and walking out to the curb. Brushing the dirt from the edge of the sidewalk, I sit down to wait for Reiner. I don't mind going out with him, I actually rather enjoy it, only because he doesn't hit me in public. He's fifteen minutes late when I finally see his car appear down the road. I stand, and that's when I also see a familiar detective running down the sidewalk from the same direction. I duck my head and try to ignore him as Reiner makes a u-turn to bring the car to a stop in front of me. As I open the door to climb into the car, I glance up to see Levi watching me, his expression seemingly disinterested, but his eyes intense. I can tell even from across the street.

"Get in, damn it, you're making us late," Reiner snarls at me.

I startle and quickly slide into the car. Reiner peels away from the curb before the door is entirely closed. His meaty hand grabs a fistful of hair on the back of my head, making me wince.

"We're already late and you waste more time staring off into space," he growls at me. "This is all your fault. If you weren't so nice to look at, I wouldn't take you anywhere."

So he didn't see Levi. Good. My punishment would be worse if he thought I had been staring at the detective. When he releases my hair and puts his hand back on the steering wheel, I breathe a sigh of relief and rub at the back of my head.

The rest of the night drags on. We ate dinner at one of the more upscale restaurants in Trost with a couple of Reiner's coworkers. Annie has always intimidated me. She's so quiet and she always looks so bothered with everything. Bertolt is nice though. He always treats me like a human being, unlike the rest of Reiner's friends and coworkers who treat me like Reiner's arm whore, like an object. He always makes these dinners more bearable.

When we finish dinner and get back home, Reiner throws me onto the bed, flips me onto my stomach, and has his way with me. I bury my face in the pillows to hide the pain and I wish, as always, that I was anywhere else but here. It didn't used to be like this. There used to be a time when I enjoyed being with Reiner, but that time is getting harder and harder to remember. He used to kiss me, and his hands would gently caress me, and he'd whisper sweet nothings into my ear. But that was a long time ago. That was before my father disowned me. That was before I became his pet. Now, I can't even remember the last time he kissed me, his hands are rough and possessive as they grope and pull on me, and his dick is unrelenting as he fucks me into the mattress. He takes what he wants, when he wants, because after all, I am just an object to him.

With an animalistic groan, he pulls out of me and releases across my back. I keep my face hidden in the pillows as he slaps my ass and stands.

"Clean yourself up and go to bed. I'm tired," he tells me before heading into the bathroom.

I lift my face from the pillows and see two wet spots on the pillow case. I hastily wipe my eyes and reach for a tissue on the nightstand to clean off my back. When Reiner leaves the bathroom, I hurry in and close the door. I clean my back more thoroughly, then splash some water on my face and rub at my eyes. I really don't want to go back out there with him, and decide to take a shower. No matter how much a scrub and how hot the water is and how much soap I use, I never feel clean. Reiner always makes me feel so dirty now, and I hate it. Eventually, I have to leave the bathroom though and climb into Reiner's bed. Turning my back on him, I close my eyes and try not to think about anything. Not Reiner, not my pain, and especially not the small business card tucked into one of Armin's textbooks under the floorboards.

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><p><strong>So I already have this fic completely finished. It's pretty short, only 7 chapters, and I'll post regularly(ish) every Friday or Saturday night. I'm also in the middle of another, much longer SNK fic that I hope to start posting soon.<strong>

**ALSO! I am now on AO3 under the same pen name. I will slowly be transitioning from here to there most likely, so if you like my stuff you can follow me there. You can also follow me on Tumblr zoey04ereri. tumblr. com**


	2. Interrogation

**Yay for an early update! Hope you guys enjoy! Thanks for the follows and favorites.**

**My warnings apply to pretty much all of my chapters, but definitely this one in particular. Just a warning.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: Interrogation<strong>

Over the next week, I see Levi at least once a day. It's always at the same times, and I quickly notice a pattern. Every morning around six thirty, he runs by my house, towards town, and every night between seven and seven thirty, he runs by my house in the opposite direction, away from town. I quickly put two and two together and decide that he must run to and from work for seven to seven shifts, and that he must work every day even through the weekends. It would explain why he has his badge and his business cards with him, right? He must keep everything else at work.

That gets me wondering about where the 3rd Precinct of the Trost Police Department is. It must be close since Levi runs to and from it every day. I don't get out of the house at all unless I'm with Reiner. He only has the one car, and I never got my driver's license. Reiner convinced me that I wouldn't need one. He takes me on errands, or runs them himself on his way home from work. I walk into town sometimes, but only when I know Reiner won't be back for a while. He doesn't like me going anywhere by myself.

It's a little after ten in the morning on Saturday, and Reiner was called in for the Saturday day shift, so I called Armin to ask him if he wanted to come over for a visit. I never invite him over when Reiner is here, which makes it hard considering Armin has a job too. The only times he can visit are when Reiner has a weekend or a night shift. This morning, we're sitting in the living room, and Armin is helping me with some problems in the calculus textbook he gave me. But my mind isn't on the math.

"Hey Armin?" I ask, looking up at the blonde. "Do you know where the 3rd Precinct of the police department is?"

"It's just down the street," he says, looking confused. "You've never seen it before?"

I shake my head with a shrug. "I guess I never noticed."

"Yeah, it's about four or five blocks down, just before you get to the more commercial part of town," he says. "Why?"

I shrug again, then quickly come up with a lie. I'm good at doing that. "I was just curious. I heard Reiner talking on the phone to a coworker. I think they're working a case with the help of an officer out of the 3rd Precinct."

He nods, accepting my explanation. We turn our attention back to the textbook, and I frown in concentration as I try to solve the problem.

"Why don't you take some college classes, Eren?" he asks me. "It's obvious you want to continue your learning, and Trost has a great community college not too far from here."

"We've had this conversation before, Armin," I sigh, sitting back on the couch. "I'm too busy, and I don't need to take classes, especially since I'm not looking for a career or anything."

"But what if you decide later on that you'd like to start a career? The classes aren't too expensive, and you can take as many or as few as you'd like. Even if you only have time for one a semester, it's at least a start. You really should look into it."

"Alright, I will," I give in. It's a lie, but at least it'll get him off of my back. I can't go to school, and he can't know the reason why. "But I won't promise anything."

A couple of hours later, around noon, Titan suddenly barks and trots out of the room. That's when I hear the sliding glass door in the kitchen open and close. Reiner's home. I stand quickly, and Armin hesitantly follows, looking confused. My mind is panicking. What do I do? I can't hide Armin now, it's too late, and he'd ask questions. The only option I have now is to let Reiner know Armin is here before he says anything to me that would raise suspicion. He's going to punish me for inviting Armin over without permission, but at this point there is no avoiding it.

"I wasn't expecting you home for lunch, dear," I call, trying to put on the cheeriest voice I can to mask the panic threatening to boil over within me. Armin follows me as I head towards the kitchen. "Armin and I were just about to eat. Would you like to join us?"

We round the corner of the hallway to see Reiner hanging up his coat on the hook. He looks between me and Armin, and I can see him swallow whatever snarky comment he was going to make. Before he can say anything though, Armin puts a hand on my shoulder.

"I would love to stay and have lunch with you two, but I should probably be going. I'll see you later, Eren, and it was nice to see you again, Reiner," Armin says, turning for the front door.

My heart stops and I can't breathe as I start to panic. I don't want Armin to leave. Because, the second he does, Reiner is going to punish me for having him over without permission. I was hoping to delay the inevitable as long as possible.

"It was nice to see you too, Armin," Reiner says with a false sincerity that only I can probably pick up.

Without another word from any of us, Armin opens the front door and leaves. The second the door clicks closed behind him, Reiner's fist is taking hold of the front of my shirt. He slams me up against the wall and his fist connects with my left cheek. I hold back a whimper. Blood trickles down my chin and the entire left side of my face throbs. Reiner's fist then slams into my stomach and his hand releases my shirt, letting me fall to the ground, clutching at my stomach and fighting for breath. His hand lifts me again, but only high enough so he can bring his fist down on my face again, this time connecting with my right cheekbone and eye. He usually doesn't hit me in the face. It's harder to hide. That, and he doesn't want to make me look ugly. But for some reason that doesn't stop him now.

His steel-toed boot slams into my side, into my ribs. I gasp and try to roll away, but he grabs me around the throat and squeezes. His knee presses into my diaphragm. I can't breathe. I see a movement in the hallway and look to see Titan standing there. His tail is tucked and his head is lowered. He whines, but doesn't move any closer. He tried to protect me once, just once, and Reiner beat him harder than he had beaten me.

"I told you that you're not allowed to have visitors without my permission, and while I'm not here," he snarls at me as I claw at his hands around my throat. "What were you doing with him? Are you letting him fuck you behind my back? Do I not satisfy you enough that you need that blonde nerd's cock so bad? Don't worry, I'll fix that for you."

One hand leaves my throat to drop to his belt buckle. He unzips his pants and then works the button and zipper of my own jeans, ripping them down my legs to my ankles. My lungs are screaming for oxygen and my throat feels like it's on fire. My vision is starting to blur, and my pulse pounds in my ears. As much as I struggle against Reiner, I'm actually kind of grateful for that hand on my throat. It distracts me from what's happening down below as Reiner shoves my legs open. Maybe he'll kill me, and I won't have to live through this. But as he starts to shove his cock into me, his hand loosens around my neck and I'm able to suck oxygen into my burning lungs.

When Reiner finishes, leaving me dripping blood and other bodily fluids, he stands and pulls his pants back up. He doesn't say a single word, leaving me laying on the floor of the entry way as he walks into the kitchen. I hear him rustling through the fridge as I try to pull my jeans back up with painful, slow movements. Titan walks up to me then and licks at the blood on my face. I roll onto my side and hug the dog to me, burying my face in his fur, trying very hard not to cry.

"I'm going back to work," he calls to me. "I'll be home at six. Try not to let anyone else fuck you before I return."

The door closes behind Reiner as he leaves, and I take a deep, shaky breath. My lungs still burn and my throat aches. My face feels like one huge bruise, and my diaphragm stings with every breath I take. Titan continues to lick at my face and push him off only enough so I can sit up.

Everything hurts, but I try to bury it all down deep. I don't shed a single tear. I deserved that. I should've asked Reiner if Armin could come over. He would've said 'no', but I wouldn't be in pain right now if I had. Making my way to my feet, I walk into the kitchen to pour myself a glass of water and to grab a bag of frozen peas. Pressing the peas to the right side of my face, I lower myself into a chair at the table and take a sip of the cool water. It sooths my burning throat a little.

I sit at the table for a long while, stewing in my self-deprecating thoughts as I try to ignore the pain in my face and especially between my legs. I know I deserved what I got, but it still hurts, and I can't help but think that maybe Reiner took my punishment a little too far. If he had strangled me a little longer, I could've died.

My conversation with Armin just hours ago comes back to me and I stand, heading into the front room. I grab my calculus textbook and take it back upstairs to hide it. I'm glad Reiner didn't go into the living room and see it, or else my punishment would've been even worse. In the bathroom, I do my best to clean myself up and change my underwear, but I there's nothing I can do to hide my blackening eye and the purple and black bruise already spreading across my left cheek. I don't even change my shirt spotted with blood before heading back downstairs to grab my green zip up hoodie and pull on my shoes.

Titan whines at me again, and I clip on his leash before opening the front door. I pull the hood up over my head and keep my head down to hide my face, then zip up the sweater to hide the blood on my shirt. I hurry down the sidewalk, towards town. I just need to clear my head. I need some fresh air. Titan stays by my side, looking up at me every few steps. He always gets close like this after Reiner hurts me.

I don't know where I'm going until I'm four blocks from my house, and I'm looking at the buildings on either side of the road. It takes me a moment to realize what I'm looking for. It's when a police car comes rolling down the road, slowing and turning into a driveway that disappears behind a tall nondescript building, that I realize I'm looking for the 3rd Precinct, and that I've found it. I hesitate, standing across the street from the police building. Should I go in? I can't go in. What am I going to do in there? Find Levi? Show him my bruises? Then refuse to press charges? Because I can't press charges against Reiner. He's done too much for me to have him arrested. And everything is in his name. The house, the bank accounts, everything, and I don't know any of the passwords or PIN numbers. And I have no schooling after high school, no driver's license... I can't survive without him.

But my legs carry me across the street anyway. I push open the door, and Titan follows me inside the small lobby. I don't know if he's allowed to be in here, but if he's not, someone will tell me. The lobby is empty, and I slowly step up to the glass window that looks into the front reception area. The bulletproof glass has a spider web crack halfway up the glass, towards the left hand side. I swallow, and keep my head down as a young woman approaches the glass.

"How can I help you?" she asks in a hard tone. She's dealt with too many criminals in her short career. She can see the marks on my face and she looks me over suspiciously.

"Uhm... can I speak with Detective Levi Ackerman?" I ask softly. My left cheek is still swollen and numb, making it a little difficult to form my words.

She raises an eyebrow at me. "Do you have an appointment with Detective Ackerman?"

I shake my head. She stares at me a moment longer, then steps back from the glass. She crosses the small room to a desk and presses a button on a microphone. I can't hear what she's saying, but after a moment, she picks up a phone and dials three numbers. She doesn't say a word, and after a minute, she hangs up. She walks back to the front desk.

"I don't think he's in the office. If you'd like to leave your name and contact information, I'll pass it on to him."

I'm shaking my head before she even finishes her sentence, stepping back from the counter. I knew this was a bad idea. I should just head home. "It's okay, I don't-"

"What do you want, Petra?" a familiar deep voice snaps from somewhere on the other side of the glass that I can't see. "I have a fuck ton of reports that I need to finish by end of shift or Erwin's going to have my ass."

Petra turns away from the counter, gesturing towards me with a hand. "There's a kid here asking for you. He doesn't have an appointment."

Levi steps into view then, wearing a sharp black suit with a dark blue button down. His badge is hanging around his neck, in full view now, as is the gun holster on his right hip. He looks very nice, very professional, and I'm glad my cheeks are black and blue to hide my blush. I look up a little more so that he can see who I am. His grey eyes widen and a look of surprise flashes across his face before his eyes narrow in a look of anger. Anger at me? What did I do? Is he mad that I'm interrupting his paperwork?

He disappears from sight again, and a moment later, a door on the wall adjacent to the window opens, making me jump. Levi stands in the doorway, holding the door open as he looks me over.

"Are you going to just stand there and stare at me, or are you going to come in?" he asks, but his tone is soft. He doesn't seem angry anymore.

I hurry towards the door, Titan following on my heels.

"Oh! No dogs, sir!" Petra calls after me though the glass.

"He's fine, Petra," Levi calls back when I hesitate.

I follow Levi through the door and into a small, secondary lobby. Two elevators stand against the far wall and a staircase to the left. Levi presses the button to go up, and when the doors on the right elevator open, we climb in and take it up to the fourth and top floor. The doors open up into a large, open room with four pairs of desks gathered in the middle of the room, each facing the other. Police officers walk through the room, coming in and out of elevators and the stairwell. Others are dressed in a suit like Levi is. They all look at me, glancing at my bruised face and at my dog. What am I doing here? Why am I here? Suddenly, this seems like a bad idea. I stop just outside the elevator. Levi hesitates, turning back to look at me when he notices that I'm not following anymore.

"I... I shouldn't be here," I say, looking back to the elevator. "I need to go home."

"Wait, Eren," Levi calls after me, taking a step towards me as I start to leave. "We don't have to talk about what happened to your face, or about your... partner. Why don't you just sit down with me and we can just talk."

I stare at him for a long minute. I can do that. That sounds nice, actually. I want to just talk with Levi. I don't have to tell him what happened, or file charges on Reiner. This will be fine. I nod and he looks relieved. Titan and I follow him into the room. Levi leads me to the furthest pairing of desks. Cases lay open on his desk, papers and pens and notes covering the surface. But it's surprisingly neat. The papers are all in order. He makes short work of collecting one of the files, then tucks it under his arm and leads me towards the right end of the room where a wide hallway leads out of the main room. We walk all the way to the end of the hallway, passing doors and large glass windows looking in to empty rooms. He flips a switch in between the last door and the large window next to it, then opens the door and gestures for me to walk inside. I do, and when I look back, I see that the window is really a mirror. It's one-way glass. Is this an interrogation room?

"It's not very comfortable, but it's private," Levi tells me, closing the door behind himself.

"Will they be able to see us?" I question in concern, looking back at the one-way glass.

"Yes, but I turned off the audio so they won't be able to hear us. No one will be watching us, Eren," he promises me. He pulls out the chair on the side of the table facing away from the glass. "You can sit with your back to the window, if you'd prefer."

I nod and take the offered seat. It hurts to sit down, but I manage to hide the wince as I try to find a comfortable position. Titan lays down at my feet, his back pressed against my legs. Levi puts his file down on the small metal table and takes a seat across from me.

"I have a lot of work to do. Is it alright if I work while we talk?" he asks.

I nod my head. "I'm sorry if I'm disturbing your work," I apologize.

"Not at all." He flips open the file and leans forward, pulling a pen out of the breast pocket of his jacket.

It's silent for a long couple of minutes, the sound of Levi's pen scratching on paper the only sound in the room. I just watch him write, frowning and scribbling things out, then circling other things before flipping pages. He's waiting for me to speak, but I don't know what to say. What is there to say that doesn't have to do with Reiner using me as a punching bag only an hour ago?

"What kind of cases do you work on?" I ask. If we're going to talk about anything, I'd rather talk about him. I don't want to talk about myself. I hate myself and my life.

"I work in the Major Case Squad. Just as our name states, we investigate major cases. Mostly murders, but also rapes, kidnappings, and other such offenses," he replies, not looking up at me. "What do you do?"

I frown. I don't want to talk about myself, so instead of answering, I ask another question. "What is the case you're working on now?"

He looks up at me then, his expression thoughtful. I can see the gears turning in his head. He's thinking, wondering at my deflection of his question. But he doesn't push his question, instead answering mine. "A domestic violence case," he says, looking pointedly at me while he does. "There have been numerous calls to her home from neighbors, and when we show up, she's always beaten bloody. But every time she refuses to press charges. We're trying to build a case without her complaint, but it's nearly impossible."

Okay, I don't like where this conversation is going either, so I quickly ask a different question. "Is your job hard?"

He sighs, but doesn't press his point, instead answering the new question. "Sometimes. But sometimes criminals are idiots and they make my job easy."

"How long have you been a detective?" I ask, hurrying onto the next question before he can ask one of his own.

"Ten years."

"That's a long time... Did you become a detective right after high school?" If not, then he's older than I originally assumed.

He chuckles, looking back down at his file. "You flatter me, but no. I went to college and the police academy before I became a detective. I'm thirty-two."

Really? I find that interesting, considering he doesn't look that old. Not that that is old. But then I think of something and frown. "Have you been a detective here the whole time? I've been in that house for about three years, and I've never seen you before last week," I observe.

"I was a detective with Shiganshina Police Department until three weeks ago. Trost recruited me from Shiganshina and I started working here about a week ago," he answers.

"So you must live in my neighborhood then, if you run to and from work every day."

"You're very perceptive," he says, lowering his pen and leaning forward towards me. "You'd make a good detective."

I look down at my hands in my lap. I don't need another person telling me that I should have a career, that I should get a job. Reiner is going to support me.

"Tell me about yourself, Eren. Do you have a last name?" he asks.

I shake my head. I know what he's trying to do. "I've never been arrested before. I don't have a record," I tell him.

"I wasn't insinuating that you have a record," he says, and a smile pulls at his lips. "Have you ever been questioned by police before? Not necessarily as a suspect. As a witness? A complainant?"

I shake my head. I don't like where this line of questioning is going. It's making me nervous. I really shouldn't be here. I quickly get to my feet, and Titan jumps up as well, startled by my sudden movements. Levi also gets to his feet.

"I apologize, Eren. I was prodding, and I won't anymore," he says quickly.

I hesitate before slowly sitting back down. I put a hand on Titan's head and he pushes his snout into my palm, his tail wagging. I scratch behind his ear, not looking up from the dog. I can feel Levi's eyes on me.

"You have a good dog," he says.

"He's Reiner's dog," I say, still rubbing Titan's ears.

"He seems very attached to you," he says, and is quiet for a while before speaking again. "Is Reiner your partner?"

I nod. I don't want to talk about Reiner either. But he asks me another question about him.

"He seems to enjoy pulling that shitty federal badge out," he says. "What does he do?"

"He's an agent with the ATF," I reply.

"The Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives, huh?" he says. "He's too full of himself. The ATF isn't even that high up there as far as the feds go."

I don't respond. All I know is that he uses that badge to intimidate a lot of people.

"How long have you two been together?" he asks, continuing with his questioning.

"About five years," I say. "We started dating my senior year of high school. When my father found out, he kicked me out. Apparently he has a thing against gays. Reiner took me in. He takes care of me." I don't know why I'm telling him all of this. Something about him just draws it out of me. I don't like it.

He must see me tense, because he sits back in his chair, giving me more space. "I'm sorry. Asking questions is my job, I can't help it," he says with a smile. His smile is contagious, as an unconscious smile pulls at my own lips. It hurts my cheek though and it quickly disappears.

"How long have you been in Trost?" he asks, looking back down at his case.

"Since my mom died with I was ten. So thirteen years," I say. "I lived in Shiganshina before that."

He nods. He doesn't ask anything else for a minute, so I jump on that, trying to turn the questions back onto him. I'm done talking about myself.

"Where did you grow up?" I ask.

A frown pulls at his lips and he doesn't look up from his folder. This is obviously a sore topic with him, but before I can ask a different question, he finally answers. "I grew up on the streets. I don't remember my birth parents, but I a man took me in what I was young. I ran away from him after high school though. He wasn't a good person. He's the reason I pursued a criminology degree and became a detective."

He doesn't look at me once as he says any of this, and his expression remains stoic, but I can tell he's trying to hide his true feelings. I'm surprised he told me as much as he did. I never expected him to share such personal things with me, especially when they're obviously not good memories for him. To ease his discomfort, I quickly change the topic.

"Do you like being a detective?"

He nods, looking up from the file then. He seems slightly relieved and grateful for my derailing of the conversation. "I get to help a lot of interesting people while putting assholes in prison for very long sentences," he replies. He looks me right in the eyes as he says this. "It's rewarding."

My cheeks burn and again I'm glad for the bruises that hide the blush. After a long minute of silence, I start to get nervous. I've been here a while, and I really need to get back home. I stand, and my body is sore where Reiner hit me. I wince, something that doesn't go unnoticed by Levi, judging by his frown.

"I should get back home. I still have chores I need to finish and I need to have dinner ready before Reiner gets home," I tell him.

He looks disappointed but he nods and closes his file. He stands and leads me out of the room. Titan and I follow closely behind him down the hall. He drops his file on his desk and continues with me towards the door. We're completely silent as we take the elevator down and into the front lobby.

"This was a good talk," Levi says as we stand outside the police department. "Come by any time, Eren, and maybe we can discuss what happened to that pretty face of yours."

My eyes widen at his comment. But I shake my head, starting down the sidewalk with Titan. I can never tell him about what happened. He can't know. No one can ever know.

"Eren," he calls after me. "Please stop by again. I enjoyed talking to you."

I don't stop and I don't look back. I can't look back. Levi is destroying everything I've ever known, everything I've ever told myself ever since I moved in with Reiner. I've built a perfect façade, a perfect disguise I could hide behind. I've convinced myself that I'm living a normal life. I've convinced myself that what Reiner does to me every day is normal, and is deserved. But Levi's interest in my wellbeing is destroying that façade. Is mine and Reiner's relationship not normal that he cares so much about it?

_I did too, Levi_, I think to myself as I continue down the sidewalk._ I did too..._.

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><p><strong>You can also find me on tumblr zoey04ereri. tumblr. com. Thanks for reading!<strong>


	3. Dissolving Problems

**Sorry for the late update. I was on vacation and my computer wouldn't connect to the hotel internet. But here is the new chapter! It's as angsty as ever, but I hope you guys like it. Thanks for all of the comments! I always love reading them.**

**Also, someone suggested that I do a Levi POV chapter. I wasn't planing on doing one (which is odd for me because I just love jumping between POVs usually) but I've decided that a Levi POV chapter would be a good idea, so you can expect one soon. Yay!**

**Anywho, enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: Dissolving Problems<strong>

Reiner is going to kill me... Titan may not be very attached to Reiner, but it's his dog, his property, and he's going to kill me for losing him.

"Titan!" I shout, jogging down the street. Mikasa is with me, helping me look for the dog. She had come over for dinner and we were saying our goodbyes, and I wasn't paying attention to Titan. He took off out of the open door before I could get it closed.

It's been a couple of weeks since I visited Levi at the police department and my face has completely healed. Reiner was disgusted by my face. He barely touched me these last couple of weeks, which I actually very much enjoyed. It was the best part of having a beaten and bruised face. But it didn't keep him from avoiding me all together. He still hits me, although he seems to be more cautious about hitting me in places I can cover up, places that are easily hidden. My right thigh and my left side hurt as I jog down the street, looking for his dog.

"Titan!" I call again, looking up and down the street. The end of Reiner's shift was extended to eight o'clock tonight, but that doesn't mean much. He'll come home whenever he finishes his work, which could be any minute. It's already a little after seven.

I haven't exchanged a single word with Levi in these last couple of weeks. I've seen him running, but I did my best to ignore him. After that day we talked at the police department, I've had a very hard time dealing with my relationship with Reiner. Not only is he making me question things, but I find that I've been thinking about the man a lot, and not always in the most appropriate ways. Whenever Reiner catches me daydreaming, I always get so scared that somehow he'll know that I'm thinking about the detective, and that he'll hurt me. I keep imagining the kind of life Levi thinks I should have with Reiner, or what it'd be like to be with Levi instead. Would it be a life where I don't get beaten nearly every day? Or would Levi soon realize that Reiner beats me because I deserve it? I can't imagine Levi ever raising a hand to me though, even if I do mess up. He seems too nice, too caring. I can't help but imagine that a life with Levi would be so much more enjoyable.

Once, when Reiner managed to ignore my bruised face long enough to have sex with me, I found myself imagining that a certain detective was with me instead of Reiner, and that scared the hell out of me. I admit that I noticed right off the bat that Levi was a very good looking man, but I didn't realize that I had become attracted to him. Perhaps it's because of how much interest he has shown in me. Maybe it's because he obviously cares about my wellbeing. Well, whatever the case may be, I've been trying to fight it, because Reiner can never know that I have feelings for another man. He beat my face bloody when he simply suspected that something sexual had happened between Armin and I. So I've been doing my best to ignore Levi.

"Titan!" Mikasa calls, then sighs. "Has he ever run away before? Where does he usually go?"

"No, he's never run away before," I exhale in frustration. I'm on the verge of tears. If I lose this dog... Not only will Reiner kill me for it, but Titan is the only being I can talk to. I can actually talk to him about anything without worrying he'll tell Reiner, and he's the only one I don't have to keep secrets from. It feels silly, since he's just a dog, and he can't even return my conversations, but I get to be myself around him. I don't want to lose him.

"Looking for him?" a familiar voice suddenly asks from behind us.

I startle, nearly tripping over my own feet in my hurry to turn and face the voice. Levi is standing there on the sidewalk, his earphones hanging from the collar of his plain blue tank top. He's holding Titan by the collar, the dog looking up at him with his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth. He really seems to like the detective.

I try to calm my racing heart, while trying to convince myself that it's only racing because he startled me and not because of my newly discovered feelings for the detective. I try to ignore the tingle in my gut as I look at his bare arms, the long line of his neck, his mesmerizing grey eyes...

"Thank you," I say quietly to Levi, stepping forward to take Titan's collar while keeping my eyes on the dog. If I look into those intense grey eyes any longer, I might say or do something I'll regret. And then Reiner will find out, and he'll beat me. So I keep my focus solely on the German Shepherd as I say, "Bad dog." The dog whines, tucking his tail.

"It was no problem. He was sitting outside the precinct when I left," he tells me. "I'm glad to see your face has healed up nicely."

I nod, looking over at Mikasa as she steps up beside me. "What's he talking about?" she asks me in concern. "What happened to your face?"

"Oh, it's nothing," I quickly reassure her. "I ran into a pole while I was out running and I got a black eye. It's all better now, though."

Mikasa laughs, shaking her head. "This one is such a klutz, always tripping over everything and running into things," she says to Levi.

"Is he now?" he questions, raising an eyebrow at me. I frown and shake my head ever so slightly, a silent warning for him to be quiet. He doesn't know anything for certain, but I know that he suspects, and I don't want him to say anything to Mikasa. She's very protective over me. The reason she thinks I'm a klutz is because of the numerous lies I've had to tell her to keep Reiner's beatings a secret. As far as she knows, I trip and run into things on a near daily basis, and I'd like to keep it that way.

"He is. I swear if he has one more accident, I'm going to wrap him in bubble wrap," she says. Levi laughs, but I know that it wasn't a joke. She would seriously try to do it. "So how do you know Eren?"

"He doesn't," I answer before Levi can. I just want to get out of here. I can feel the anxiety bubbling up from within me. Reiner could be home any minute... "I just see him every once in a while when he's out on his runs."

"Oh, I see," Mikasa says.

An awkward silence stretches on between the three of us. I'm just about to excuse myself when Mikasa does first. "I'm going to head home," she tells me. "Good night Eren, and it was nice to meet you..."

"Levi," the detective supplies, shaking her offered hand.

"I'm Mikasa, a good friend of Eren's."

"It's a pleasure, Mikasa."

Mikasa smiles at Levi, then at me, then turns down the street with a wave. All three of us, me, Armin, and Mikasa, live pretty close to one another. I know Armin and Mikasa are over at each other's houses all the time, and I wish I could join them more often. But Reiner doesn't like me going places by myself, and no way am I taking him with me, so the only times I can visit them is when he's at work. But speaking of Reiner...

"I should be going too," I say to Levi, starting to tow Titan down the sidewalk. "I need to get home before Reiner does."

"Will he be mad at you if-"

Tires screech on the road behind us, and I spin around to see Reiner's car pull to a stop. He heart stops and ice floods my veins. I was supposed to have more time... Just a few more minutes... My body goes stiff, as it always does when he's around. It doesn't help that I'm standing here with Levi, just the two of us. He's going to suspect things, and I'm going to pay for it later. His door flies open and he steps out of the vehicle. "What the hell are you doing out of the house?" he yells at me. His eyes fall on Levi and he scowls. "You're that shitty cop. I've already told you once, and I won't tell you again: stay away from Eren. He doesn't need your help, and I don't like people messing with my things."

"Eren is his own person," Levi retorts, his eyes cold. No, shut up, Levi. Please don't provoke him... "He can do as he pleases. And I was simply returning your dog. That is all."

"Returning my dog?" Reiner questions, looking over at me with anger in his eyes that instinctively makes me flinch. "Did you let him get out?"

"It was an accident," I quickly explain, embarrassed by the way my voice cracks. I can't breathe. I can't move.

"Get in the car," he growls at me.

I quickly comply, making my tense legs move towards the car, not wanting to anger him further. I let Titan into the back seat, then climb into the passenger's seat. My eyes lock with Levi's angry eyes as Reiner peels away from the curb. When we get to the house, Reiner drags me by my hair into the house, throwing me to the floor.

"You're a worthless piece of shit!" he yells at me. "You're fucking lucky that I'm kind enough to put up with you. I should've thrown you out on your ass a long time ago, you fucking dipshit. Do you enjoy causing me trouble with that fucking midget cop?"

"No, Reiner," I murmur, not daring to get up from the ground. My voice is timid and shaky. My heart is racing, but I'm just glad he hasn't hit me yet.

"Pathetic piece of shit..." he grumbles, stepping over the top of me. I flinch, but then relax when he disappears down the hall and into the living room.

Reiner's harsh words ring in my ears as I slowly get to my feet. I can hear the TV turn on in the front room, and then the sound of the football game. That will keep him occupied for a while. Good. My eyes are burning with tears that threaten to fall as I hurry up the stairs to our room. I silently pull back the loose floorboard and remove a history textbook from within the hidden space. Cradling it to my chest, I head into the bathroom and lock the door. I set the book on the counter as I start to fill the bathtub and shed my clothes.

The searing hot water scalds my skin, but it feels good against the dark bruise on my thigh and side as I ease myself in. My emotions are still in turmoil, tears still threatening to spill over. _'You're a worthless piece of shit..._' It's nothing new. I've heard it all before. And I know it's all true, but it never seems to get easier to handle. Sometimes, his harsh words hurt worse than his fists do.

As the tears burn behind my eyelids, I reach up under the lip of the counter, to where my relief is tapped to the underside of the tile. I hold the cool metal between my fingertips, then drag it across the soft skin on the inside of my left wrist as I lose the battle against my tears. You'd think that I deal with enough pain in my life that I don't have to inflict it on myself, but this pain is different than the pain Reiner causes me. This pain feels good, and it washes away my emotional pain. It's also a soothing pain that distracts me from the throbbing pain caused by my bruises and contusions. The crimson droplets trails lazily down my arm from the few rows of cuts, dripping into the water and dissolving away. If only my problems could dissolve away so easily.

With my emotional pain successfully numbed, I clean off the blade and hide it again, back under the tiles of the counter. Reaching up on top of the counter, I grab the history textbook. Now that my emotional pain is fading, I can concentrate on learning something new. Maybe it'll help to further distract me from the creeping depression. As I slide it off the counter, something slips from within the pages. Levi's business card flutters to the floor. I slowly pick it up and stare at the fine text on the front. Then, I flip it over and study the numbers scrawled across the back. I glance over at my phone sitting on top of my pile of clothes.

No. I can't call him. Not on my cell phone. Reiner will check my logs and see the number there, and then he'll hurt me. But text conversations can be deleted, right? The temptation is too strong and I place the book on the floor in exchange for my phone. I unlock the touch screen and bring up a new text conversation, but then hesitate, staring at the blinking cursor. What could I even say? What I really want right now is to be comforted, to be assured that someone cares about me, to have someone to cry to about how my perfect little façade is falling apart. But Levi is a police officer. I can't tell him the things I want to tell him, the things I've never told anybody. If I do, Reiner will get arrested, then I'll be homeless. I have no money of my own, no place to stay.

But nonetheless, I find myself entering Levi's number and punching out a simple message, then hitting the send button before I can convince myself that this is a bad idea.

**To: Unknown  
>Thanks for returning Reiner's dog. He's happy Titan is safe.<br>7:42PM**

My heart is racing as the message sends, and I toss the phone to the floor beside the tub before sinking into the scalding water up to my nose. I close my eyes and try to relax my tense muscles, but a loud buzz startles me and I straighten up in the water. Quickly drying my hands, I dive for the phone. **1 New Message.** I hurriedly unlock the screen and click on the envelope icon.

**From: Unknown  
>No problem brat. But I didn't do it for your partner.<br>7:45PM**

I read the text three times. Brat? I actually smile at the term though. I don't know his meaning behind it, but I find it playful and amusing. I try to remember the last time Reiner used an actual endearment with me and not a derogatory slur. I can't. My fingers hesitate over the keys, trying to think of how I can reply, but then the phone buzzes in my hands and a new bubble appears beneath Levi's first message.

**From: Unknown  
>Are you alright? He didn't seem too happy.<br>7:47PM**

Damn it. He's prodding again. Why does he have to do that? Why does he have to be a cop? Why can't we just talk and be normal friends? I just want someone to talk to, someone who will listen without interrogating me. I want to be able to talk to someone that I don't have to walk a thin line around, knowing that a single slip up could land Reiner in prison and turn my life upside down. I can't do that with Mikasa or Armin, because Mikasa would quite literally kill Reiner, and Armin would immediately go to the police, or aid Mikasa in hiding the body. I wish Levi could be the one person I can confide in. But he _is _the police. But despite that, the fact that he's asking how I am makes my heart flutter. He cares about me, and I don't even care if it's only because he's a police officer and it's his job. I try not to think whether he'd be this concerned if he wasn't a cop.

**To: Unknown  
>I'm fine.<br>7:48PM**

I stare at the lie on the screen. Those two words are so simple, but they mask so much. Here I am, covered in bruises, crying over the verbal abuse I just received, with blood running down my left arm from self inflicted wounds, and my answer to 'are you alright?' is 'I'm fine'. How many countless times have I uttered those very two words to concerned friends on days my happy mask was too hard to hold up? How many times have I hidden behind those two words when they were the furthest from the truth? I don't want to think about it.

Those two words that mean nothing and everything are the only answer I give him before deleting the conversation and tossing my phone away. I grab my history textbook and hold it over the water, trying to focus on the tiny print and colorful pictures. It takes reading the same paragraph four times before I finally get my mind off of Levi and into the Crusades. I only get three pages into the chapter before my phone vibrates on the tile, shattering my concentration. I pick up the phone.

**From: Unknown  
>Whatever you say brat. I'm here to talk whenever you change your mind.<br>7:54PM**

...

Shoving the heavy criminology textbook I took from Reiner's office into my backpack, I sling it over my shoulder and head out the door. I don't know why, but I have the strongest urge to go visit Levi at the police department today, and I thought I'd bring the textbook with me. There is one chapter I don't understand and maybe a police officer can better explain it to me. In the back of my mind, I know this is just an excuse, but I run with it anyway. It was two days ago that Levi returned Titan, and we haven't talked since, in person or by text message. I've been paranoid since that night that Reiner would somehow discover that I had been texting the detective, but he hasn't. There's no way he can. I deleted the messages.

When I reach the 3rd Precinct and pull open the doors and walk up to the counter. Petra isn't here this morning. Instead, a young man with dark brown hair sits behind the reception desk. He stands and walks up to the counter when he sees me.

"Can I help you?"

"I'd like to see Detective Ackerman," I say. "I don't have an appointment."

He nods. "Hold on." He turns his back to me and presses that same button for the microphone that Petra had spoken into last time. But this man is louder than Petra, and his voice carries. "Dispatch to S301, are you 10-8?"

I wonder at what the police codes mean for a short moment before the radio crackles to life and a somewhat deep voice I recognize, even distorted by the radio, responds.

"S301 to dispatch, I'm en route. What do you want, Gunther?" He sounds frustrated, irritated. I'm suddenly nervous. What if he isn't in the mood to deal with me today? I mean, he's a busy man and I'm not here to file a report on Reiner. I just want to talk with him. For some reason I'm craving his company.

The man, Gunther, looks up at me. "What's your name?"

"Eren," I reply. "Eren Jaeger."

"A kid, Eren Jaeger, wants to see you. He's waiting in the lobby."

"10-4. I'll be 10-8 in five."

Gunther steps back from the radio and approaches the desk. "Go ahead and take a seat. Detective Ackerman will be here shortly."

I nod and turn towards the chairs lining the back wall, but then Gunther's question stops me.

"Is Detective Ackerman working your case?" he asks me, leaning his folded arm against the metal counter top on the other side of the bulletproof glass from me.

I shake my head. "No, I don't have a case."

"Oh," he says, scratching at his head. Then he frowns, looking wary. "Are you filing a complaint? What did he do this time?"

What? Does Levi get a lot of complaints filed against him? That confuses me. He seems so nice to me... "No, of course not, I just... I just wanted to see him." Why did I tell him that? That sounds pathetic.

He looks confused. "Levi doesn't get many visitors. He's not exactly the most sociable guy. He doesn't make many friends in the public," he laughs. "Don't get me wrong, he's by far the best detective we have, it's just that his blunt and unapproachable style pisses a lot of people off."

My brow furrows in thought at Gunther's words. That's the exact opposite impression I've gotten from Levi in our few encounters. He hasn't been blunt or unapproachable with me. He seems like he really cares about my wellbeing. I wonder why that is.

"The latter is very true," a man suddenly says, stepping into the reception room. He's tall with long blonde hair pulled up into a weird bun looking thing at the back of his head and a small patch of stubble on his chin. He's wearing a suit, like Levi wears, but his is a little dirty on the sleeves and pant legs, very much unlike Levi's. "But I have to disagree with the former. I'm obviously the better detective."

Gunther snorts. "You wish, Eld."

The other detective, Eld, looks over at me. "He's waiting for Levi? I don't recognize him. Is he filing a complaint?"

"Surprisingly, no complaints, and he doesn't have an open case with Levi either. He's just visiting," Gunther shrugs. "Levi's on his way."

It doesn't bother me as much as it should that they're talking about me like I'm not even here. I'm used to it. Whenever I'm out in public with Reiner, I'm supposed to just sit back and not make a sound, and he often talks about me right in front of me. I'm just an object. I'm used to being treated like one. I take a seat against the back wall and listen to the detective and the dispatcher banter back and forth.

"What's his ETA?" Eld asks.

"Any minute now," Gunther replies, sitting back in his chair and propping his feet back up on the desk.

"Oh, then he'll be fine. I was going to take him upstairs, but instead I guess I'll head out. I have court in an hour, so put me 10-6 and let Levi know," Eld says.

"Court? Oh, is it for the Anderson case?" Gunther questions, then radios Levi to pass on the information Eld just gave him.

"Yeah, the sick bastard is finally getting sentenced today. Fingers crossed for the max," Eld says as he leaves the dispatch room and disappears from sight.

It's not a minute later that the front door opens and Levi walks into the lobby, wearing the same- or at least a very similar- black suit but this time with a deep green collared button up underneath. His hair is slightly windblown, but still looks neat and orderly, if that's even possible. I don't know if the man is capable of looking anything but perfect.

"Hey, brat," he greets, stepping up to the door leading into the precinct.

I stand as he stands up on his tiptoes to lean his chest close to a tiny black box next to the door, then straightens, his hand falling to the door handle. Nothing happens and he frowns, leaning in again. Still nothing.

"God fucking damn it," he growls. "Gunther! Why does this piece of shit never fucking work?"

Levi lifts his foot and pretends to kick in the door as Gunther laughs, reaching for a button next to the phone on his desk. I can't help but snicker as well, covering my hand with my mouth. There is a loud buzzing click and Levi pulls the door open. I enter the precinct, a smile still on my face and, as I pass Levi, he winks at me, a smile of his own pulling at his lips. My eyes widen and the smile slips from my face. He steps forward to press the up button for the elevator, and I quickly try to school my expression back under control. I must've imagined that. He didn't actually wink at me.

When we get to the fourth floor, Levi grabs a file from his desk and leads me back down the same hallway as last time. This time, there is a pair of suit-wearing detectives standing in the wide hall, looking into the first interrogation room on the left side of the hallway. I can hear a distorted voice echoing from the small box between the one-way glass and the door, and as we pass, I glance in to see a strung out washed up forty-something laying his head on the metal table while another detective in a suit leans over him, grilling him. Levi leads me past them to the last room on the right. He flips off the audio switch and opens the door for me. I take my seat facing away from the glass.

"So, brat," he says, plopping down into the chair on the short side of the rectangular table, adjacent to me. "What brings you in today?"

I shrug, putting my backpack on the table as Levi opens his face file. "I, uh..." What do I tell him? I can't tell him it's because I wanted his company. "I was bored. If I'm interrupting your work, I can leave."

"Not at all. I have some free time right now to work on paperwork, and I'm good at multitasking," he says, looking up at me with an amused glint in his eye. "I'm glad you're here, actually. You can keep my sorry ass company so I don't die of boredom."

A smile finds my lips, and it's actually not forced for once. What a feeling... "I'm glad I can be of assistance. I was actually hoping you could help me with something." He looks up quickly, looking almost surprised and... hopeful? I suddenly realize what I said and what he must think I mean. I quickly shake my head and pull the criminology textbook out of my backpack, flipping it open to the correct section. "No, not that. I was reading this textbook and these sections here, on phrenology and atavism, are confusing me."

He sighs and looks at me for a long time, obviously disappointed, but then he looks down at my textbook. He stands and scoots his chair right next to mine before sitting back down, so that he can have a better look at the pages. He's very close to me though, and I feel my heart beat start to accelerate. A very faint, pleasant smell catches my nose, a soft vanilla smell, and I realize it's coming from him. His silky black hair is inches from my face as he leans in to read the text. I have a sudden, strong urge to run my fingers through it, along the fuzz of his undercut. I look down at the book quickly, color burning on my cheeks.

"I didn't know you were taking classes, let alone criminology classes," he says, grabbing the cover of the textbook and lifting it to get a look at the title. "'Psychology of crime', huh?"

"I'm not taking classes," I say. "It's Reiner's textbook from when he went to college. I borrow his and my friend Armin's to read sometimes. Even though I don't have time or money for classes, I still like to learn."

He looks up at me, a curious expression in his face, before he looks back down at the textbook. He starts to go into brief explanations of the two terms, and I suddenly feel bold enough to grab the pen out of the breast pocket of his suit. He glances up at me, then back down at the textbook as I take notes in the margins. Reiner is never going to look at this book ever again, so I'm not too worried.

Levi is in the middle of explaining why phrenology's use in criminology is bullshit when he stops midsentence. Before I can look up at him or say anything, his hand is on my left wrist, his thumb ever so lightly tracing over the healing marks. Shame floods me and I pull my arm away from him, ripping my sleeve back down to cover the marks.

My head is ducked and my jaw clenched in humiliation as I wait for Levi to say something. When he doesn't, I look up at him to see a mix of sadness and anger in his deep grey eyes. He wants to say something, I can see it written all over his face, but he doesn't, instead looking back down at the textbook and continuing with his explanations. Good. I don't want to deal with that part of my life right now. I just want to go back to enjoying Levi's company.

* * *

><p><strong>You can also find me on AO3 under the same penname, and on tumblr. zoey04ereri .tumblr .com<strong>


	4. Discovered

**Yay it's Friday! Yay another chapter!**

**So I meant to make a note about the police codes on the last chapter but I forgot. Sorry! I did a lot of volunteer work for my local police department, so these are the 10 codes they use. They can vary from department to department, but in this story 10-4 is 'okay' or 'copy', 10-6 is 'busy', and 10-8 is 'at the station'. S301 is Levi's designated radio number. At my department, officer numbers started with L and detective numbers started with S. I kind of made Levi's number up at random, but my thought process was 'S' for detective '3' for 3rd Precinct and '01' because he's the lead detective for the department. Hopefully that clears up any confusion!**

**Anyways, enjoy. More escalation and more Eren being a stubborn brat...**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4: Discovered<strong>

"Really, Titan?" I grumble as the dog trots through my dirt pile, scattering it all over the kitchen floor for the third time since I've started sweeping. "That's it, outside."

I tow the dog out the door and close it behind him. He sits on the top step, staring back at me through the glass with his head tilted to the side. The top step is soaking wet and muddy from the downpour we had all day yesterday and all last night. I grimace as it soaks into his fur. Perhaps putting him outside wasn't the best idea. I'll have to clean him off before letting him back inside.

Picking my broom back up, I start to sweep again. After gathering all the dirt Titan scattered, I pull out the mop and bucket to begin scrubbing the white tiles. I'm just about finished when I Reiner throws the sliding glass door open and trudges in. Titan following quickly behind him. His boots and pants are covered in mud. He kicks off his boots and tosses them by the back door. I grimace at all the mud covering the newly cleaned floors.

"Clean this up," he snaps at me, pointing at the mud. He leaves the kitchen without another word, heading upstairs to change for work.

"Yes, Reiner," I mumble, even though he's already out of earshot, as I drag a muddy Titan back outside,.

I hate when Reiner has a night shift, or days off in general. It means that he's here during the day, while I'm up and awake, and he can keep a closer eye on me. I can't call Armin or Mikasa, I can't have them over here or go over to their houses, I can't read my textbooks, I can't do anything but chores and make sure Reiner is happy. But it's nearing five thirty, which means Reiner will be leaving soon for his night shift that starts at six. I can stay up late tonight and watch movies or read or do whatever I want. Today has been a long day- they always are when he's home- but I'm about to have the night, and our bed, to myself.

It's been a little over a week since I went to visit Levi at the 3rd Precinct, and I've gone back every day since. I still plan on going today, since there will be about an hour and a half of time between when Reiner leaves for work and when Levi's shift ends. I've really enjoyed the little bit of time every day that I've gotten to be with Levi. He's so calm and collected, and he's becoming my reality away from reality. Even though he's the only person to ever suspect that Reiner's been hurting me, when I'm with him, I can pretend like that part of my life doesn't exist. He doesn't push me about it, he doesn't ask probing questions, he just sits and talks with me. And as I get to know him better, I realize that he treats me differently than everyone else. What Gunther and Eld said that day while I waited in the lobby, about how Levi is blunt and unapproachable, is true with everyone else I observe him interacting with. I've only ever seen him around other detectives and a few witnesses and he's very cold and off-putting, so I'd hate to see how he is with suspects.

The kitchen is just about clean again when Reiner comes back down stairs, dressed in his dark jeans and dark grey blazer. He doesn't say a word to me as he pulls his muddy boots back on and leaves the house. I feel the tension in my body slowly fade. Reiner is gone now. I can relax.

The cuts on my wrists have scarred and the bruises from last week are almost gone as well, only yellow patches of skin now. There is a new bruise on my hip, but that one really was an accident. I ran into the corner of Reiner's desk while I was cleaning his office a few days ago. It's very rare that my body has no bruises caused by Reiner, but right now that's the case, and it raises my spirits a little bit.

When I finish cleaning the kitchen, I run upstairs to change into black skinny jeans and a grey tank top. It's not very often that I can show off my arms like this because usually I'm hiding bruises or cuts on my wrists, but today I'm free of that burden. The night is unusually warm for late fall as I step out of the house and head with hurried, eager steps down the sidewalk towards town. A smile is on my face, and I feel that now familiar feeling of stepping away from my shitty reality. The feeling is like a drug. It's addictive, and I feel like I'm riding a high.

The department closes to the public after five, but whoever is on duty in the reception room today recognizes my face and buzzes me in. Stepping into the lobby, I start to head towards the front desk, but Petra gestures towards the door as she reaches over for the button that will unlock it. I hesitate, but then quickly pull the door open before it locks again. On the other side of the door, Petra runs up to me and starts pushing me towards the elevators. Before I can ask what's going on, Petra flashes me a big smile and explains.

"Levi is conducting an interrogation right now, and I want you to see it before they finish," she says, repeatedly pressing the button for the elevator. "It's a real treat to see him work like that. That man is incredible."

The elevator doors open and I almost collide with another man when Petra tries to shove me in through the opening doors.

"Mike!" Petra squeals. "Can you take Eren up to the interrogation rooms? He wants to observe Levi's interrogation. I need to get back to the desk."

He nods and steps back onto the elevator with me. The man is so tall. He has blonde hair and blonde scruff on his chin and upper lip. He leans towards me and I involuntarily flinch away from him, but then I realize that he's... sniffing me. He straightens back up with a smug grin on his face. What the...

The elevator doors open and even though I know where I'm going, I follow Mike through the open room and towards the hallway. A rather large crowd of police officers and detectives stand outside the first interrogation room on the left. I slowly approach the crowd. They're silent, their eyes intent on the one-way glass. I can hear a distorted voice over the speaker. It's not Levi's. Eld's maybe?

I step up beside a tall blonde man with an undercut who's standing in the back, leaning against the opposite glass. He has a thoughtful look on his face, his blue eyes focused as he watches the glass. He's wearing a grey suit and a bolo tie. He looks very... authoritative. I wonder if he's more than just a detective.

On the other side of the glass, a rugged looking man sits in the chair on the other side of the metal table, directly facing the one-way glass. Eld is pacing behind the man, reading off of a file in his hands. The man looks nervous. I don't see Levi though. He must be standing somewhere out of view.

I feel a tension between my shoulders and a tingle up my spine. Someone is looking at me. I look over to see the tall blonde man staring down at me. I fidget nervously, then look back at the window.

"You're that kid that keeps coming to visit Levi," he says finally, after a long, tense minute.

"I'm not a kid, sir," I reply. "I'm twenty-three."

He chuckles, looking back up at the window. "Normally you wouldn't be allowed to see this, but I won't deny you the opportunity to watch Levi work, although it seems that they are almost done. What's your name, kid?"

"Eren Jaeger."

"It's nice to finally meet Levi's stalker," he smirks, extending a hand. I blush at the comment. "I'm Commander Erwin Smith."

Commander? So he's the man in charge of this precinct. I shake his thick hand, and I swear his grip is strong enough to crush bones. He falls silent again and focuses back on the room. Eld slams the file down onto the table next to the suspect and leans his hands on the table, staring him down. I jump at the sudden noise and Erwin casts a glance down at me, a thick eyebrow raised before he looks back up. I fight the embarrassed blush and focus on the suspect. He twitches away from Eld as Eld continues to glare at him.

"All the evidence points to you, David," Eld says. "You're not going to get away with this."

Levi suddenly steps forward from next to the glass. He has a few pictures in his hands, but I can't see what's on them. He flips through him, his face calm, then tosses them onto the table towards the suspect. The man jerks his head away, not looking at the photos. Levi quickly grabs a fistful of the man's hair and shoves his face towards the photos. I flinch at the way he handles the man. Sharp memories of Reiner grabbing me in the same way flash through my head and I look down.

"You don't like looking at your own handiwork, David?" Levi says, and his voice is hard, demanding. "You beat her, you raped her, and then you killed her. Look at it. _You_ did this to her."

I look back up when the man chokes out a sob. Levi isn't holding him by the hair anymore. He's standing on the short side of the table, his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes are dark, like they were when he glared at Reiner the first time we met. It sends a shiver down my spine, and I'm not even the one the glare is directed at.

The man visibly shies from Levi's intense glare, and I can practically see his resolve cracking. I know how to read people very well, and I can see that he's not going to last much longer. Levi has already intimidated him too far.

When Levi leans his hands onto the table, the man snaps, jumping from his chair and hurrying to the back wall. "That bitch led me on! She wanted it," he snarls, pointing at the photos on the table. "But that bitch shot me down. I was so mad... so I hit her, and I hit her, and I hit her. She wanted it. She led me on. She led me on..."

Without another word, Levi straightens from the table and heads for the door while two police officers enter the room. That's it. It's over. Levi doesn't say a word as he leaves the room and pushes through the crowd of officers. He hesitates though when his eyes fall on me. He gestures for me to follow him as he heads back to his desk.

"We'll have to talk out here today, because I need to close out this case," Levi says as he grabs a chair from beside a pair of desk and drags it over next to his own. I sit down. "I was starting to think you wouldn't come by today. Why so late?"

"Reiner has a night shift tonight," I tell him.

He looks over at me as his computer boots up. "So you only come here when your partner is at work?"

I nod. "He doesn't like me leaving the house by myself."

He watches my face, my expression, waiting for me to slip up and reveal something. But I keep my emotions under control, and off my face.

"So Erwin let you watch my interrogation, huh?" he asks, turning back to the computer. "How much did you see?"

"Not much. Only the last minute or two," I say.

"So you missed all the good stuff. You just caught that blubbering idiot's confession."

"It was pretty intense though. You're scary when you're with a suspect," I say, trying to make it sound like a joke. But I can't stop thinking about the rough way he handled the man. It was only for a second, and it wasn't that severe at all, but that grabbing of the hair is a favorite of Reiner's when he wishes to control me, and it brings back too many painful memories. My fingers involuntarily scratch at my healing wrist.

He picks up on my nervousness. I can't hide it. He watches me in concern for a moment before asking, "Do I scare you?" His voice is soft, calm, and so different from the hard, sharp tone he had in the interrogation room. It's like he's a whole different person now, like I get to see an entirely different Levi than everyone else. It sooths me, relaxes me, and I feel safe in his presence again.

"No," I answer immediately. I don't even have to think about it. "You make me feel safe."

This makes him smile, and the smile is contagious as I feel it pulling on my own lips. He looks back at his computer and starts to type.

"So, brat, what boring ass textbook are you going to make me explain today? I thought I was done with all that shit when I graduated," he teases.

"Oh, I didn't bring a textbook today," I say. I hadn't even thought about it. "I was just-"

My phone starts to ring in my pocket, interrupting my train of thought. My heart jumps into my throat, and I reach into my pocket to see who's calling me. When I pull the phone out my heart stops all together and I suddenly can't breathe. I can't feel anything, my body is numb. **Incoming Call: Reiner Braun**. What does he want? Why is he calling? Did he go home and see me gone? I can't breathe...

"Eren?" Levi questions.

"I have to go..." I manage to say, the words weak. I stand on shaky legs, but hurry towards the elevators. I can hear Levi following behind me, but I ignore him. I answer the phone and slowly lift it to my ear. "... Reiner?"

_"Where the fuck are you?!"_ his voice yells at me.

"I-I went for a run," I lie quickly, repeatedly pressing the down button for the elevator. He must be home if he knows I'm not there. Why is he there? Did he forget something? Did his boss decide that he didn't need him tonight? I was supposed to have all night. Why is he home?

_"Without Titan? Don't you dare fucking lie to me! Get your ass back home _now_, little shit."_ He hangs up.

I swallow hard, trying not to let my legs give out underneath me as I slowly pocket my cell phone. The elevator doors open, and I push past two officers as they leave the elevator. Before the door closes, Levi sticks his hand through the opening, then enters the elevator.

"Eren, what's going on?" he asks me.

"It's nothing," I reply in a daze as the elevator starts to descend. "Reiner came home, he's just wondering where I am. I have to get back."

"If it's that simple then why do you look like someone just shot your dog?" he questions. The elevator opens and I run towards the exit, throwing it open into the warm night. Levi follows. "Please, Eren, let me help you. Is he going to hurt you? Is he abusing you?"

I turn on him, trying to fight back my shock. He's never said that word before. He's never straight out questioned how Reiner treats me. He's always tap danced around the topic. Hearing it from his lips, hearing him ask that question, it makes it so much more real. But it's not abuse. I deserve it. If I wasn't so disrespectful, he wouldn't have to hit me.

"Don't follow me," I tell him, trying to make my weak voice sound strong. "You'll only make it worse."

That gets him to stop, and I quickly turn back around and take off down the street. My pulse is hammering in my ears by the time I reach my house. What is Reiner going to do to me? What will my punishment be for sneaking out? He doesn't know I was at the police department. He has no way of knowing that. Maybe it won't be too bad.

I ease the front door open and make my way inside. I can hear the TV on, blaring the baseball game. No footsteps sound, so he's not getting up. Titan trots up to me, his tail wagging, and I quickly scratch his ears before trying to sneak upstairs. Maybe he's not mad at me. He sounded so angry on the phone, but he always sounds angry. I get to the top of the stairs and suddenly Reiner is in front of me, stepping out of our bedroom. His eyes are pure blue fury. My heart stops and fear paralyzes me as he grabs the front of my shirt.

"Where were you?!" he shouts in my face. "And don't you fucking lie to me! Where were you?! Were you fucking that blonde geek? That horseface?"

I clinging to his arm. His hands are lifting me off my feet. Tears prickle at my eyes. "N-No, Reiner, I would never-"

"Then where were you?!"

"I just went out for some fresh air, I promise," I say. Lying is so easy for me, especially to Reiner. I've had a long time and a lot of incentive to perfect it.

"You're lying to me," he says. It's not that he sees through my lie, it's just that he's paranoid. I can see it in his eyes. There is no reasoning with him. He's beyond that.

His fist slams into my stomach, and then he's shoving me backward. I'm falling, and it feels like everything is moving in slow motion. I'm tumbling down the stairs, and pain radiates through my whole body. I try to protect my head, but it hits the banister and everything goes black.

...

Pain. Everywhere. My skull is pounding, my left arm is killing me, and every other part of my body throbs. Where am I? What happened? I'm laying on my back on a cold floor. Something wet presses against my cheek. I can hear a whine. Something soft brushes against my face. I open my eyes to see Titan standing above me, whining and licking at my face. He barks, and the loud sound slices through my head, pain erupting between my ears.

I'm laying on the floor at the base of the stairs. I struggle for breath. My chest sears in pain. When I finally get the strength to move, I reach into my pocket and pull out my cell phone. Titan barks again, and I wince, trying to push him away, but my left arm explodes in pain, making me whimper. Is Reiner still here? Is he somewhere in the house? Or did he leave after he threw me down the stairs?

I unlock my phone and struggle to get my eyes to focus on the screen. I press the call button, then the numbers 9, 1, and then 1 again. It begins to ring and I relax back against the ground, trying to will away the throbbing pain.

_"9-1-1, what's the location of your emergency?"_ a female voice says after the first ring. It's familiar. I know that voice. But I can't think passed the pain enough to place it. I find comfort in the voice though, and relax in knowing she'll make everything okay.

"I..." my lungs scream and I can't force enough air through them to get the rest of the sentence out.

_"Hello? Caller?"_

"I need... help," I breathe. "Fell... down stairs." Titan barks again.

_"We're tracking your call, an ambulance will be at your location shortly. Please stay on the line until they arrive,"_ the voice says. _"Can you tell me your name, sir?"_

"Eren," I force out.

_"Eren? Eren Jaeger?"_ It hits me then, who that voice belongs to. It's Petra.

"...yes," I manage. My chest and lungs are searing.

_"Oh my god... help is on the way, dear. Hang in there, okay?"_

I don't have the strength to respond. It seems like forever, an agonizingly long forever, until I hear sirens. But in reality, it's probably only been a few minutes. The front door gets kicked in, just a few feet from where I lay in the entry hallway. Titan barks at the two firemen that run into the house and kneel before me. I'm half expecting Reiner to run into the front room to see what's going on, but he doesn't. He must not be here. Good.

I only half listen to the two firemen talk to each other and into their radios, trying to focus on not letting my pain consume me. They strap something onto my neck, keeping me from moving my neck or head. Two more men in blue uniforms hurry into the room. They're not police officers, and judging by the way they talk with the firemen, they're probably paramedics. I try to focus on their voices instead of the pain, but it's hard. The pain in my head is so intense, I can't handle it. Tears pool in my eyes and my vision blurs. Everything is going numb.

"Stay with me, Mr. Jaeger," one of the paramedics says.

But I can't. Unconsciousness is pulling me under, and I have no desire to resist it. I give into the numb, emptiness eagerly, but just before my vision goes completely dark, another figure hurries into the room. I know that short stature, that dark suit and shiny badge hanging from his neck. I know that neat undercut and those intense grey eyes. But I am too far gone to place a name with that worried face.

...

I come to surrounded by beeping, bright lights, and the smell of antiseptic. I can feel a very faint numb pain throughout my whole body, but it's not bad. It's wrapped in the soothing haze of drugs. Morphine. I am no stranger to the wonderful, pain consuming drug. I've been in hospitals before. My head still feels too big though, like it's about to burst. And my arm feels heavy. I twitch my fingers and move my left arm. It's in a cast. I also feel tight bandages around my left knee and ankle. Damn...

I open my eyes to a white ceiling. My vision is blurry at first, but quickly clears up. I take a deep, shuttering breath. It feels like my diaphragm is bruised, and the breath hurts a little, but the morphine dulls it.

I hear someone sigh off to my right and I startle. The beeping of my heart monitor accelerates. Is Reiner here? Is he going to punish me? The last time I ended up in the hospital he blamed me for the cost of my medical bills and beat the shit out of me as soon as I was released.

But when I look over, I see Levi stand from the chair he had been occupying in the corner. The relief that floods me is nearly incapacitating. He has a bored, tired look on his face, but I can see the worry in his eyes. He cares about me. He's here, visiting me in the hospital. I catch the gleam of his badge, hanging in plain sight against his chest. Suddenly I have doubts. Is he here because he's concerned for my health, or because he wants to question me about the incident? But why would he question me? He investigates homicides. And it seems to me that I'm still alive.

"Oi, calm down, brat," he says in that same soft, soothing voice that I've come to love.

"Levi..." I murmur. My voice is hoarse, my throat like sandpaper and my mouth dry. I swallow hard.

"Let me guess," he sighs, crossing his arms over his chest as he stands by my bed. "It was an accident."

I nod quickly. "I fell..." I start to say, but my hoarse voice cracks. Levi reaches for a cup of water on the table next to the bed. He hands it to me and I eagerly take a drink. "Mikasa told you that I'm a klutz. It's true."

He exhales sharply and suddenly his bored mask falls away. He pinches the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger and squeezes his eyes shut. "Damn it, Eren. I've been doing this too long to fall for your lies," he snaps at me. His tone is harder than it usually is with me and I flinch away from it. My chest is tight and tears burn behind my eyelids. He's mad at me. And for some reason, I can't stand the thought of him being mad at me. But I can't tell him. I can't...

He sighs, the anger in his expression falling away. "Don't cry, brat," he murmurs, resting a gentle hand on my shoulder. The warmth in his touch courses through me and makes me shiver. The tears dry up in my eyes as I look up at him. "I just wish you'd let me stop this. I can protect you, Eren. If you'd just tell me the truth, he'd never hurt you again."

"He's not hurting me," I reply, looking away from him. "It was my fault."

"No," he snaps, making me startle again. "It's not your fault. Never blame yourself for what he does to you. Nothing gives him the right to hurt you. Nothing."

I squeeze my eyes shut. I don't want to talk about this. I can't turn Reiner in. Levi sighs again and moves away from the bed. I open my eyes. He shoves his hands into his pockets and heads towards the door. "The doctor said that none of your injuries are life threatening, and that you'll be released as soon as your next of kin arrives to pick you up. He's been notified, and he's on his way."

Fear grips me again, and I can hear the heart monitor accelerate. Reiner is on his way? He's going to be so mad at me. I'm sure these medical bills won't be cheap. What's he going to do this time? Is he going to actually kill me? I used to pray that he'd kill me so that I didn't have to live through this shitty life anymore, but now, the thought of dying actually scares me. I look at Levi, panic clear in my eyes, but his back is still turned and I don't stop him, don't say anything. I do absolutely nothing as the detective leaves the room.

The tears fall then as I watch Levi disappear. He's the only one who's ever cared about me, and he's trying so hard to help me, but instead of letting him, I'm running back to Reiner. How long will he keep tring? How long until he gives up on me? I can't stand the thought of him walking out of my life forever. I need him. I... I love him.

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><p><strong>I know that in the beginning I said this fic would be seven chapters, but I added a Levi POV chapters so that bumps it up to eight. The Levi POV chapter will actually be the next chapter.<strong>

**So I seriously debated for like five minutes on whether I should leave Erwin's title Commander or switch it to Captain since the title given to the head of a police precinct is Captain, but it was just too weird. Captain Erwin Smith. ...no. That's Levi's title. So I left it Commander. This was a serious problem for me guys! Literally five minutes! XD**

**I'm also on AO3 under the same pen name, and on Tumblr. zoey04ereri. tumblr. com. Feel free to leave questions/comments/concerns on either of those sites or here. Thanks for reading!**


	5. Distractions

**Yay it's Friday! And This week's update is the Levi POV chapter! Double yay!**

**So this chapter starts after Eren runs from the police department in the last chapter. The main purpose of this chapter is to show Levi's perspective on the situation with Eren, and to hopefully explain why he feels the way he does about Eren. Hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5: Distractions<strong>

_Levi_

I don't know what that kid is doing to me. I've always made it a point not to get attached to anyone on the job. And I've always done such a good job of it that I come across as unapproachable and blunt to the public. I know that while I was with the Shiganshina Police Department, I had more complaints filed against me than all of the others detectives combined. I've already accumulated quite a few with Trost PD. I've never gotten in trouble for them though, because my superiors know that I'm great at what I do, and it's because I remain unattached that I'm able to see things others can't.

But this brat is breaking through that mentality I've always clung so strongly to. For some unknown reason, he's wormed his way past my barriers. And he didn't even have to work very hard to do it. The moment I saw him laying on the ground beneath the boot of that blonde gorilla, I knew there was something special about him. I'll admit that he is very cute, and that he seems like a gentle person, but that shouldn't be enough for him to break my carefully built walls.

The day I saw him standing in the precinct lobby, his face covered in fresh bruises, I was furious. I wanted nothing more than to head over to that shitty gorilla's house and beat his face in. I've never had a reaction like that to an abuse victim before. I've dealt with a lot of domestic violence cases during my career, most of them ending as homicide cases which is why I was assigned them, but they've never triggered this kind of response from me. Even the living victims I've dealt with, the ones that were lucky enough to cross my path before their partners had the chance to kill them, have never elicited these emotions from me. Eren is the first to make me care. Well, I always care about the victims, I always care about protecting them and saving them from their abusers, because I absolutely hate people that harm others for no justifiable reason. It goes against humanity. They're nothing more than animals, beasts that need to be locked away in cages. But what I feel towards Eren is a whole new level of caring, one I've fought these long ten years to keep out of my work, and it confuses me.

It's driving me crazy that I can't do anything to help him. I've tried every strategy I can think of to coax whatever information I can out of him, to get him to slip up just enough for me to be able to arrest his partner. I know that man is abusing Eren. I know it, but I can't prove it, and without a complaint, there's nothing I can do. I've thought about hunting down that girl Eren was with when I returned his dog, but I don't know anything else about her other than her first name, Mikasa, and that she's a friend of Eren's. And I doubt she'd be much help anyway. It's obvious she knows nothing about the abuse. Eren is hiding it from her too, managing to convince her that he's just clumsy. Right now, I have no other options than to be patient and continue trying to work information out of the stubborn brat. Hopefully I'll succeed before it's too late.

Sitting in front of a suspect's rundown apartment building, I can't help but thinking of our very short encounter at the precinct only fifteen minutes or so ago. I'm worried about him. He was absolutely terrified. I didn't hear much of his side of the phone call, but I knew it was his partner before he even told me. I could see it written all over the brat's face that he was afraid. Those words he said to me on the sidewalk ring in my ears, and I hate them. In those two short sentences, he said so much, yet not enough for me to do anything.

_'Don't follow me. You'll only make it worse.'_

I want to punch something. That was the closest he's ever come to actually hinting he's having a problem at home. _You'll only make it worse_. I know what he means by that. I know that he's thinking if I follow him, and his partner sees me, he'll hurt Eren worse. I wanted to follow him anyway, because that ape wouldn't dare hurt Eren in front of me, but I needed to respect Eren's request. What's happening to him now? Is his partner mad at Eren? Is that fucker hurting him? Is he marking up that beautiful face again? Is he causing more injuries Eren will just cover up and lie about later?

I exhale in frustration. This brat is wreaking havoc on my emotions. I'm frustrated, angry, irritated, confused, and worried. I feel powerless and it's driving me crazy.

It's also distracting me from my work. This brat is going to get me killed.

"He's going out the back!" Eld's voice shouts over my radio, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I curse under my breath and throw the unmarked police car into gear, peeling away from the curb and onto the street. I slam the little red light on top of the car and flip on my siren, my tires screeching as I fly around a corner.

"I've got eyes on the suspect," I say into the radio.

The suspect is fleeing on foot a couple hundred feet in front of me. The kid is a twenty-something druggie that we've been tailing for weeks as a suspect in a string of felony robberies that resulted in a homicide on more than one occasion. How this washed-up shithead has managed to evade Eld and I for this long blows my mind, but he has. At the sound of my sirens, he looks back over his shoulder, then takes off into an alley.

"Fuck," I curse, slamming the breaks and throwing the car in park before leaping from the vehicle. I draw my gun as I pursue the suspect on foot. "Police!"

The suspect doesn't slow as he reaches a six foot tall chain link fence and climbs over the top of it as if he were a fucking monkey, taking off down the alleyway on the other side.

"God fucking damn it," I exhale. I don't holster my gun before leaping onto the fence and scrambling over. I highly doubt this strung out junky even thought to bring a gun with him before he ran, but I don't take the chance anyway. I'd rather not end up dead because I holstered my gun to climb over this damned, ridiculously tall fence. It's only during situations like this that I hate my height. Why do fences have to be so fucking tall? Landing on the other side of the fence, I take off after the suspect and press the button on my radio. "What's your twenty, Eld?" I can hear his sirens, but I can't figure out his position due to the way the sound echoes off of the brick buildings on either side of me.

"Southbound on G, approaching 6th," he replies.

"He's coming out of an alley onto 6th, heading west," I tell him.

"10-4."

Not a moment later, Eld's car screeches to a halt at the mouth of the alley. The druggie slams into the side of the car, flipping over the hood and landing sprawled out on the asphalt. I slide over the hood of the car, landing hard on the suspect as he attempts to scramble back to his feet. With my knee on his spine, I pull his arms roughly behind his back.

"Stop fucking struggling," I snap at the junky, but my command falls on deaf ears as he continues to pull against my grip on his wrists. I'm sure the Miranda rights I read off next go unheard as well, but that's not my problem.

Eld shoves the suspect into the back of his car, then slams the door on him before turning a hard glare on me. "What the hell was that? Why weren't you at the right location?" he demands of me.

"I fucked up, okay?" I say with a shrug, heading around the front of the car to open the passenger's side door. I know he won't chew me out in front of a suspect.

He shoves the door closed before I can open it enough to climb inside the car. "We've been chasing this guy for weeks, Levi. _Weeks_. And you almost let him get away because you had your head up your fucking ass."

Now it's my turn to glare. "But he didn't get away, did he? I caught him. Yes, I fucked up, but I already admitted that. Can we move on now?"

"What's wrong with you, Levi?" he demands, but his tone is softer now. It's a question of worry, not of accusation. "You haven't been yourself ever since we got transferred."

Eld was my partner back in Shiganshina, and he's the only person I've ever worked with that I am completely comfortable with. In Shiganshina, we were able to read each other and work off of each other like two parts of a well oiled machine. When Erwin requested me from Shiganshina, I agreed on the one condition that he bring Eld on as well, and that we remain partners. Eld is probably the closest thing I have to a friend, and in our many years working together, he has learned to read me like an open book.

"Nothing is wrong with me," I snap.

"Is it the new department? Is it Smith?" he questions, then a look crosses his face, like he's not sure if his next words are a good idea or not. But he says them anyway. "Is it that kid?"

"No," I reply, maybe a little too quickly. "It's not the kid. It must be the new department. I'm still trying to get used to the different regulations and procedures here."

I know he sees right through my half-assed lie, but he doesn't comment on it. Instead, he lets it drop, removing his hand from the door so that I can climb in. I have to suffer through listening to the drugged up felon scream and cry and curse at us, and at one point he spits at us, and he's lucky as hell that the cage kept any of it from landing on me or Eld would be taking him to the morgue instead of lock up. Eld drops me off at my car, then radios in that he's heading for the county jail. I report that I'm heading back to the station, and just as I'm pulling out onto the road, the radio crackles to life.

"_Dispatch to S301,_" Petra says into the radio. I exhale sharply. I'm not even back to the station yet from this call and she already wants to pass something else off onto me. I should've taken the suspect to lock up myself and left Eld to take all the calls.

I pick up the radio in the car and press the button. "Go dispatch for S301," I reply, not bothering to hide my frustration.

"_Levi, I just got a 9-1-1 call from Eren,_" she tells me, her voice thick with worry.

It's as if her words shock me. They might as well have. I can't breathe, can't think for a long second, but then I'm instantly alert, my mind and heart racing. My foot is pressing the gas pedal to the floor and I reach for the switch for my sirens. I nearly drop the radio as I scramble to pick it up and reply.

"What happened?" I demand.

"_He says he fell down the stairs. I have paramedics and fire en route. They should be arriving in a few minutes_," she says.

"I'm en route," I tell her. "Put me 10-6."

I shove the radio back onto its spot on the dash and concentrate on racing through the streets towards Eren's home. The guilt is eating me alive. I should never have let Eren go home by himself. I should've gone with him. Maybe then that fucker wouldn't have thrown him down a flight of stairs. I know he didn't fall. He might be able to fool everyone else in his life that he's just clumsy and has a lot of accidents, but I know better. His partner calls him, he runs home in a panic, telling me not to follow him because I'll 'only make it worse', then calls 9-1-1 because he fell down the staris... It's an equation that doesn't add up. Falling down the stairs is the wrong answer. It all adds up to his partner _throwing_ him down the stairs. And I should've been there to prevent it from happening.

As I race through the streets, I also realize that I'm scared. I don't remember the last time I've been this afraid. But now, as I hurry towards Eren's home, I know that I am afraid. How much longer does Eren have before that fuckface kills him? He could've died today. He could've broken his neck and that would be it. He'd be on his way to the morgue instead of the hospital. I need to push Eren harder before it's too late. Because the next time very well could be the last time. I could lose him, and that thought scares the shit out of me, even though he's not really mine to lose.

I reach his house just after the paramedics. I watch the two men in their blue uniforms hurry into the house as I pull up behind the fire truck. I shut off the sirens, but leave the light flashing and the car running as I leap from the car and jog up the walkway to the front door. A fireman turns to stop me, but hesitates when he sees the badge resting against my chest. I push passed him without a word.

It hits me like a ton of bricks straight in the gut, the pain in those beautiful green eyes. I only see it for a split second, his eyelids closing at he falls into unconsciousness soon after I enter the room, but it's enough to force all the air from my lungs. The paramedics are busying themselves with stabilizing Eren for transport. They secure his neck and an obviously broken arm before they slide his limp body onto a stretcher.

All I can do is stand there and stare. What is there for me to do? Why did I race over here? The answer is obvious: I wanted to see him to make sure he was okay. But it still confuses me. There is nothing I can do for him here. Right now he needs the attention of the paramedics, and he needs to get to a hospital. I'm just a police officer. I'll be there for him when he wakes up, and hopefully take a report on what really happened, but there is nothing I can do now except get in the way.

A fireman is standing off to the side, watching the paramedics work over Eren. He must've been the first responder. I walk up to him.

"You," I say, getting his attention. "Were you the first responder?"

"Yes," he replies. "I don't know why they called the police though. It appears to have been an accident."

"I don't think it was," I say. "Was there anyone else on the premises when you arrived?"

"No. Just him and the dog." He gestures over his shoulder to Eren's Shepherd who is standing in the hallway, watching with his head lowered and his tail tucked.

I frown. So his partner must've taken off just after he pushed him. Because I know this wasn't an accident. There are just too many things that point to it being foul play.

"What hospital are you taking him to?" I ask the paramedics, following them as they carry Eren out of the house.

"Trost General Hospital," one of them replies, setting Eren's stretcher on a gurney and rolling him to the waiting ambulance.

Without another word, I get back in my car and make my way towards the hospital, watching the ambulance disappear in the traffic in front of me. I don't bother with my lights or sirens. They need to treat Eren first anyway, and I won't be able to talk to him before they finish.

When I get to the hospital, all it takes is a flash of my badge for the receptionist to tell me exactly where Eren is. When I reach his room, I wait outside while a nurse finishes applying the plaster cast to his arm. Another nurse is wrapping compression bandages to his swollen knee and ankle.

Watching through the window that connects the hallway to his room, I cross my arms over my chest and try not to let my anger overwhelm me. I'm mostly angry with Reiner, but I also realize I'm mad at both myself and Eren too. I'm mad at myself because I feel so helpless. There is nothing I can do to end Eren's pain. And I'm mad at Eren for not letting me help him. It wouldn't be hard. He'd just have to tell me that his partner is abusing him. That's all he has to say. But he won't. I've worked enough domestic violence cases to know that most of the time, the victims feel that they deserve the abuse, or that they have nowhere to go, or that they are still in love with their abuser. If any of those are the case with Eren, I'll just have to figure out how to convince him otherwise.

When the nurses leave the room, a doctor in a white coat steps up next to me. I know immediately who it is without having to look. Although, I have to say I'm surprised she hasn't pulled me into a bone-crunching hug yet, or tousled my hair, or called me some stupid nickname derived from my vertical impairment. Maybe she read my mood and for once took it into account.

"Is he a friend of yours?" Hanji asks me.

I just nod, and... there it is. Her arms wrap around me and she nearly lifts me off my feet as she hugs me much tighter than necessary.

"He'll be okay," she reassures me when she releases her death grip on me. I still don't look at her, opting instead to keep my eyes on Eren laying motionless in his hospital bed. "His broken radius is the worst of his injuries, which is good. It could be a lot worse. He has a sprained ankle and knee, and it appears that he has a mild concussion. Overall though he should have a quick recovery."

I nod, only listening with half an ear. I eventually just tune her out, her obnoxious rambling becoming less medical and more social, but her last sentence catches my attention and I spin on her.

"What did you just say?"

"Uh," she stutters, confused by my sudden anger. "The hospital contacted a Reiner Braun to come pick him up. He's listed as the boy's next of kin."

I want to argue with her, to tell her not to let that piece of shit anywhere near Eren, but I can't. If he's listed as Eren's next of kin, there's nothing I can do to stop Reiner from taking Eren. He has every right. Damn it.

I don't say another word to Hanji, leaving her alone in the hall as I enter Eren's room and take a seat in the corner of the room. I don't know how long it'll be before he wakes up, but I'll wait as long as I have to. I don't care if Reiner shows up before then. I'll beat his ass into next week if he tries to make me leave. I'm off the clock soon anyway, so I silence my radio and wait, trying not to stew in my anger and guilt. I'm not very successful.

Thankfully it's only a few minutes later that the constant beeping of Eren's heart monitor starts to speed up, letting me know that he's waking up. His green eyes flutter open and he takes a deep breath, which causes him to wince. I sigh, trying to mask that his pain worries me, and stand from the chair.

Eren startles at my movement, his heart monitor sky rocketing. I stop moving, not wanting to frighten him any further. I mask every emotion I'm feeling with a bored, tired expression. I don't want to come off as threatening to him, since he's obviously already scared. His eyes are wide and frantic as he looks towards me, but when his eyes meet mine, he relaxes completely. It eases my sour mood slightly to see that look of relief in his eyes. He almost looks happy to see me.

"Oi, calm down, brat," I tell him, trying to force a calm tone.

"Levi..." he murmurs, so softly I barely catch it. His voice is hoarse, and he swallows hard.

"Let me guess," I start, crossing my arms over my chest. I move to stand by his side. I want to see it in his eyes when he lies to me. "It was an accident."

He nods immediately, starting to look panicked again. "I fell," he says. His voice is still rough, as if his throat is made of sandpaper. I reach for the cup of water on the small table next to his bed and hand it to him. He looks grateful as he takes a sip of the water. "Mikasa told you that I'm a klutz. It's true."

I'm having a very hard time keeping my anger at bay. I want to be a comforting presence for him, especially now that he really needs it, but I'm just so frustrated. I pinch the bridge of my nose and close my eyes, trying to force myself to calm down, but I can't. "Damn it, Eren," I snap, my voice harder than I meant for it to be. "I've been doing this too long to fall for your lies."

He visibly recoils from my tone, and he looks up at me with wide, wet eyes. God damn it, I'm making him cry. Those tears do wonders to melt away my anger, leaving me feeling guilty. With a sigh, I let all that anger fade away so that I can concentrate on comforting him. He needs to know that I will be there for him, that he can talk to me. I'm not supposed to be scaring him.

"Don't cry, brat," I murmur, resting a hand on his shoulder. He relaxes under my touch. "I just wish you'd let me stop this. I can protect you, Eren. If you'd just tell me the truth, he'd never hurt you again."

"He's not hurting me," he says quickly, looking away from me to try and hide the fact that he's lying. "It was my fault."

That anger flares up in me again, but it's not directed at Eren. I'm furious with that blonde gorilla. Did he tell Eren that it was his fault? Has he convinced Eren that he deserves to be hit? Is that why Eren refuses to turn him in? Because he thinks all of this is his own fault?

"No," I snap at him. I don't mean to be so harsh, but he needs to know the truth. He needs to know that he doesn't deserve what that fucker is doing to him. "It's not your fault. Never blame yourself for what he does to you. Nothing gives him the right to hurt you. Nothing."

He's upset again. He closes his eyes, refusing to look at me. I run a hand through my hair with a sigh. I don't know what to do anymore. I can't give up, but I can't keep fighting with Eren. It's exhausting, trying to help someone that doesn't want to be helped. I know it's not his fault that he doesn't want to let me help him, but I don't know how long I'll be able to keep pushing at him like this. I step away from his bed, shoving my hands in my pockets to hide that they are shaking.

"The doctor said that none of your injuries are life threatening, and that you'll be released as soon as your next of kin arrives to pick you up. He's been notified, and he's on his way," I tell him.

I hear his heart monitor accelerate and I hesitate by the door, but only for a moment. If he wants my help, he will ask for it. But he doesn't. He's going to let Reiner take him instead of saying those three simple words: Reiner hurts me. I grip the handle to the door hard and leave the small room. It's probably one of the hardest things for me to do, to walk away from Eren, knowing Reiner is on his way to come get him. I'm handing him back over to his abuser, but there is nothing I can legally do to stop it. I don't have the proof I need to arrest him, since Eren is adamant about claiming his fall was an accident.

So I leave the hospital, leave Eren, and hope that Reiner doesn't kill him before I have the chance to save him.

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><p><strong>Everything after this chapter will be back to Eren's POV.<strong>

**Find me at zoey04ereri. tumblr. com**


	6. Sweet Words

**This chapter is back in Eren's POV, just as the rest of the chapters will be. So further escalation in this chapter, and it's not all bad, guys! Who woulda guessed that I can write happy things, eh? Well, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as much as I do. It's probably my favorite (although I have a deeper opinion on it which is explained at the end).**

**Thanks for all the comments guys! I'm glad you all seemed to enjoy Levi's POV.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6: Sweet Words<strong>

Rain patters against the window of the bedroom, a soothing, steady sound. Sitting in the small alcove in front of the window, I watch the water stream down the glass. It's been gloomy for weeks, very befitting of my mood. I don't feel like doing anything. I haven't touched a textbook since I got home from the hospital. I haven't talked to Mikasa or Armin. I haven't gone on runs. And, I haven't gone back to the 3rd Precinct. I haven't seen Levi since that night at the hospital. I try not to think about the detective.

My revelation has ruined everything. How can I love Levi if I love Reiner? And why is my love for Levi so different than my love for Reiner? I want to be with Levi. I don't want to be with Reiner. Thoughts of Levi make me feel good. Thoughts of Reiner make me feel fearful. I crave Levi's caring words and gentle touch. I fear Reiner's harsh words and painful touch. That doesn't sound like love to me... But I can't be with Levi. He's ruining my relationship. I tried to tell Reiner 'no' the other day when he pulled off my clothes, and now I have healing bruises peppering my chest and stomach and the inside of my thighs. And it's making it harder to sit back and take Reiner's beatings. An anger I haven't felt in a long time is growing within me. I entertain the thought of fighting back, but I don't.

"Eren!" Reiner's voice shouts as the sliding glass door closes behind him. I guess he's home. But I don't move. "Why didn't you do the weeding? And why the fuck are there dishes in the sink?" His feet are pounding up the stairs. I still don't move. "Did you sit there on your ass all day? You've been doing that a lot lately, and I'm getting sick of it." He's not concerned. He doesn't care that I've been depressed. He doesn't care about the raw cuts that appear on my right arm, the one not covered in a cast, nearly every night.

His meaty hand grabs the back of my neck and pulls me off the cushions of the alcove. I don't resist at first as he throws me to the ground and punches me in the stomach. "You are so fucking worthless! You think you can disrespect me like this and get away with it? You live under my fucking roof, eat my fucking food, so you _will_ pull your weight around here, you understand? I don't give a fuck that your arm is broken because you're such a fucking klutz and fell down the stairs."

"You pushed me," I growl, low under my breath.

Reiner's fist hesitates, raised just before a punch. He stares at me with furious eyes. "Did you just... talk back to me?"

"It's the truth and you know it," I reply. I don't know where all of this courage is suddenly coming from, but I'm not afraid of what may happen to me anymore. I don't care. This world, my life, it's all so screwed up. I don't care what he does to me anymore. He should just kill me. I wouldn't have to deal with my fucked up life anymore, and I would be out of his hair for good. It's a win-win scenario, since he obviously hates me so much.

His fist slams into my face. I spit blood as it floods my mouth. His fists pummel me, my chest, my stomach, my face, and when I try to roll away from him, my sides and back as well. He hits me over and over, screaming at me how I'm so useless and pathetic, how I'm nothing, dog shit beneath his shoe. I absorb every word, because they're true. I'm not worth the effort he's putting into beating me.

"You're a fucking nobody. Mikasa and Armin? They don't love you. They _pity_ your sorry ass, because you're a useless idiot. You're a worthless piece of trash. If it weren't for me, you'd be on the streets, stealing and fucking to survive. I saved you, and this is the thanks I get? You're fucking garbage. A worthless, pathetic, fucking nobody who isn't worthy of the air you breathe. You don't deserve me. You don't deserve all I've done for you."

When his tirade ends, tears are streaming down my cheeks and my body hurts all over. But the emotional pain is the worst. It always is. Reiner disappears from the room and I stand in a daze. My mind is threatening to shut down. I drag my worthless self out of the room and down the stairs. I only stop to pull on my shoes, not even bothering with a jacket, as I open the front door and step outside into the pouring rain.

I let the frigid water wake me up and wash away my emotional upheaval. My legs are on autopilot as they carry me down our walkway and along the sidewalk, further and further away from town. As the rain clears my mind of Reiner's cutting words, a new depression takes its place. This is my life. This is my everything. The verbal and physical abuse, the putting down, the beating, the hatred and anger. For the last five years, this is all I've known. For the last five years, I've shut the world out. I used to matter. I used to be someone. I vaguely remember my high school years, when I was determined to do well in school and get into a good college and make a name for myself. I remember being so happy and loving life. I remember days where Armin, Mikasa, and I would laugh so hard that we cried. I remember sleepovers and trips to the movies. I remember being so young and happy and free. But now I feel like I'm a caged animal. I feel like a wall has been built between me and the rest of the world. I feel trapped, and I want- no, I _need_ my freedom back. I'm tired of living behind a wall.

I'm running now, my feet carrying me down the sidewalk, the rain soaking me to the bone and blurring my vision. I run and run, but I'll never be able to escape the wall. I'll never know what the world on the other side looks like. Reiner's control over me is too complete. I don't have a college education. I don't have a driver's license. I have no work experience. I have no money. I have absolutely nothing. I have nowhere to go. There's always Mikasa and Armin, but how long would it be until they got sick of me and kicked me out? I can't support myself. I can't function on my own outside those walls. Reiner takes care of me, and despite the verbal and physical lashings I constantly receive, I know that he'll always support me. And when he decides he doesn't want to anymore, he'll kill me like the caged animal I am and then I'll truly be free.

My foot catches on something, or maybe my legs just give out, I don't know, but I go sprawling across the wet concrete and I don't have the strength to get back up. I'm sobbing. When did that start? I can barely catch my breath, and my whole body shakes as I lift myself up onto my hands and knees. The pain that rips though my heart at realizing my fate is crippling, all consuming. I will never taste freedom. I will always be a caged bird. Levi, damn him, is a free bird that fluttered by my cage one too many times, giving me a glimpse at what freedom looks like. But he is just a little bird, and he can't get me out of this cage. He can peck at the locks, but the gate will never open.

I slam my fists- one still cocooned in a plaster cast- onto the concrete, rain running down my nose to drip onto the sidewalk as I scream. I scream at Levi, at Reiner, at these stupid walls... at myself. My eyes are squeezed shut, my tears mixing with the rain in my eyelashes as I wail at the ground. What did I do? What did I ever do to fuck up my life so badly? Where did I go wrong? Was it trusting Reiner? Was it coming out to my father?

Or was it letting Levi steal my heart? I was perfectly fine, going through the motions of my life, convinced that it was normal and convinced that I was happy, until Levi came along and shattered my fairytale. He took my façade and he ripped it to pieces.

Tires whir past me, sloshing though the thick rain. I pay them no mind until I hear them screech to a stop, then a rev of an engine as they slosh back in my direction. I look up to see a sleek black car come to a hasty stop in the road in front of me. The driver's side door swings open and Levi steps out of the car, dressed in his nice suit that is now collecting rainwater.

"Eren? What the hell are you doing out here?" his voice calls to me. He hurries towards me. "Come on, get in the car."

I should be happy to see him. My heart sure is judging by the way it flutters in my chest, but anger boils over in my mind. I had spent the last however long it's been running through the rain convincing myself that this is all Levi's fault, that he promised me a world I can't have. I straighten and scramble backwards as he approaches, my back hitting the white picket fence of the yard behind me.

"This is _your_ fault!" I shout at him through the rain streaming down my face and lips. "I was just fine, trudging though my shitty ass life until you fucking ruined _everything_!"

He hesitates for a moment, then continues towards me, grabbing my arm with a frustrated sigh. He hauls me to my feet and leads me to the still running car. "Get in the fucking car, brat."

That word again. It rolls off his tongue with a hint of endearment and sends a feeling of warmth through my whole body. I want to fight him, fight the kindness he is still showing me, but I'm suddenly too exhausted, physically and emotionally, to do anything but the only thing I've ever done these last five years: obey. He leads me around the front of the car, the engine radiating heat, and opens the door for me before ushering me inside. He's gentle as he does it though, always gentle, so unlike Reiner. Gentle isn't a part of Reiner's vocabulary. Levi closes the door, then jogs back around the front of the car to quickly slide into the driver's seat. He shuts his door, and the noises of the outside world are lost to us.

The car is warm, and it makes violent shivers rack up and down my body, disturbing new and old bruises alike. I huddle into myself, rubbing at my bare arms with my hands. Levi puts the car into gear, then continues down the street. He lifts his right hand from the stick shift to his soaked hair to brush away some of the water.

He doesn't speak, and I just stare at his handsome profile as he drives down the rain slicked road. I don't know what to say to him. My mind is starting to clear, and I feel bad for shouting at him, for blaming him, but it really is his fault. I still find myself apologizing though.

"Sorry," I mumble through my chattering teeth.

"Don't apologize. What happened? Why were you out there in the rain?" he asks me, glancing over briefly before looking back at the road ahead of him.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because my life is falling apart around me and I don't know how to stop it?" I retort. Where is this snarkiness coming from? I never used to be like this. Well, not since high school I haven't.

"I've given you a solution, on more than one occasion," he replies, his voice never losing that calm and collected edge.

"Too bad your solution is impossible," I exhale, looking out the window. I absent-mindedly itch at the skin I can reach beneath my cast.

"It's only impossible because-"

"I won't say anything bad about Reiner," I interrupt him, my voice sharp, unrelenting. "I can't."

He sighs and doesn't say another word as he weaves his car through the grid of houses. Now that I'm warm, the tears have stopped flowing and I've stopped shivering. It also serves to bring some clarity to my mind that had previously been in the midst of turmoil. The pain subsides a little, and although never forgotten completely, it's bearable again. I can tuck it away deep inside, hiding it from the world. Although it's a little too late for Levi. He's already seen it in all its ragged, raw glory. I try to think about other things to distract me, and one obvious subject comes to mind instantly.

"I didn't know you had a car," I say, looking back over at him. "You always run to work."

"You're the only one crazy enough to be out in this rain, brat."

"I guess I am," I sigh. "And you're the only one crazy enough to try and fix this." I gesture to myself as I say the word.

"Not crazy," he replies firmly as he pulls the car into a driveway. He looks over at me as he waits for the garage door to finish opening. His eyes glance down to the many rows of cuts that lead from my wrist to the inside of my elbow. "Just concerned."

Concerned... There he goes again, saying thing like that, showing me that he actually cares about me for some god forsaken reason. It's those sweet words that got me into this mess, that shattered my façade. But it's those same words that make me feel like I'm worth something. They take root in my heart and make me feel like there is actually someone out there that gives a damn about me. And I don't want those words to stop.

Levi pulls the car into the garage and I climb out on numb legs. My head feels muddled and fuzzy, and my legs feel like Jell-o. Is this what shock feels like? My brain feels like it's shutting down. I've gone through too much emotionally, and those caring words from Levi were enough to tip me over the edge. His hand takes my arm and for once I don't flinch away from someone's touch. He leads me towards a door that I suspects leads into his house.

"I'm sorry I got your car wet." The words are so soft, so quiet that I'm not sure Levi even heard them, but then he replies,

"Don't worry about it."

He opens the door and leads me into a small kitchen with smooth black countertops and black appliances. The floor is a very dark wood floor. A small dining room is attached to the kitchen and huge windows line the walls of the alcove. They would make the dark room so much lighter if not for the torrential downpour. Everything is so immaculately clean that it makes Reiner's house- which I pride myself on keeping spotless- look like a pig sty.

He instructs me to remove my shoes outside the door and I comply. He leads me through the kitchen into a spacious living room. A large flat screen hangs on the wall, a brown faux leather couch sitting in the middle of the room in front of it. Bookshelves stand against the walls behind the couch and hold books and movies and other little things. A sliding glass door on the right wall leads out onto a wooden patio, and out into a decent sized yard. A large archway to the left of the room barely distinguishes the living room from the front entry way of the house. This entry way also leads to a long hallway to the right, or circles back to the kitchen to the left. The small room to the left of the entry way is almost completely empty except for a beautiful baby grand piano. Everything is the same dark hardwood from the kitchen, but when he leads me into the last room in the back of the hallway- the master bedroom- it's carpeted in a plush dark grey, nearly black carpet. A bed with pristine white bedding sits with the headboard against the left wall, a small night stand on either side. A dark wooden dresser stands to the right of the bed, and two doors sit in the wall across from the bedroom door. One is a sliding door, so it must lead into a closet, and the other must be for the bathroom. The right wall has a large sliding glass door that leads out onto the same wooden patio. Everything is so clean and orderly, and I don't want to touch anything with my soaked clothes and body.

Levi leads me though the room and into the bathroom. He leaves for a short minute, only to return with a plush white towel, some folded, clean clothes, and a piece of plastic. He sets it all on the counter, then helps me wrap my lower left arm in the plastic, securing the end just above the cast with a rubber band. I don't know what the point is. The cast is already soaking wet.

"Go ahead and take a shower to warm yourself. Just leave your wet clothes on the floor. I'll be back in a few minutes to collect them and put them in the dryer."

I nod and he leaves, closing the door behind him. I take a deep, shuddering breath, then turn to the shower. I could definitely use a scalding hot shower right now. I turn the shower on and, while I wait for the water to heat up, I shed my sopping wet clothing. I try not to look in the mirror to see the bruise spreading across my left cheek. My body seems to be running on autopilot, my mind still one big, foggy blur.

When I get into the shower hot enough to melt the skin from my bones though, my mind seems to clear. I stare at the numerous bruises that litter my skin, old and new. I look like a fucking giraffe, and it's all Reiner's fault. I take the soap and scrub viciously at my skin with my one functional hand. A new set of tears streams down my cheeks as I rub my skin raw. I'm so dirty, but I can't get the dirt off. It won't come off. It won't...

A knock on the bathroom door startles me and I nearly drop the soap. It takes a few seconds for my racing heart to calm down before I can answer, "Yes?"

The bathroom door slowly creaks opens and my breath catches. The shower doors are heavily fogged, so I can't see Levi, and he can't see me, but my hands still drop to my crotch as my cheeks blaze red.

"I'm just getting your clothes," Levi reassures me.

I watch his shadow take the few steps into the bathroom to grab my wet clothes, then it disappears without a single word, the door clicking shut behind him. His brief presence was a distraction from my despairing thoughts, and I cling to it whole heartedly, as if my life depended on it, because right now, it kind of does.

The distraction allows me to redirect my thoughts into a more pleasant topic. I'm not at home. I'm not with Reiner. He can't hurt me. He doesn't even know where I am. I'm at Levi's house, finally getting a glimpse into his more personal life. Levi won't hurt me. He won't raise a hand to me, and he won't put me down with vile words. Quite the contrary, in fact. He seems hell bent on helping me out. He seems determined to make my pathetic little life better, despite my incessant stonewalling.

A smile actually finds my lips as I rinse off my raw body and shut the water off. I grab the plush white towel from the counter and wrap it around my body, reveling in how soft it is. It's such a small, miniscule thing, but it helps make me feel better, more comfortable. I remove the plastic, then quickly dry off. I try to dry my cast off as best as possible before I reach for the black sweatpants and dark green tank top Levi had left for me. The sweatpants just barely cover my ankles, and that's with them riding low on my hips, and the tank top shows off a thin strip of tan skin along my stomach. I tug at the hem insecurely. A bluish purple bruise stands out stark on my right hip. Levi is going to see it, along with the much older yellow bruise on my left shoulder. Well it's not like he doesn't already know.

Leaving the bathroom, I hesitate in the bedroom. There is no sign of Levi. I suppress the stupid urge to snoop through a cop's bedroom and head towards the open bedroom door. I can hear the faint sounds of a television, and I follow it down the hall towards the living room. My bare feet pad silently across the hardwood, and I round the corner to see Levi sitting on the couch, wearing a pair of dark grey sweats and a black Beatles T-shirt. He seems so relaxed, his bare feet propped up on the coffee table and loosely holding the neck of a beer bottle in his long fingers. The fingers of his other hand absent-mindedly stroke the black and white hair of a small cat curled up in his lap. How he keeps this house so spotless with a long haired, shedding cat blows my mind.

He doesn't seem to notice me as I stand hesitantly in the hallway. He's watching the television, but he doesn't seem completely interested in the cop themed show playing. He takes a long swallow of his beer, then snorts. "Yeah fucking right," he says to the television. "That's not how that works."

I decide to step into the living room then, instead of hanging out in the hallway watching him like a stalker. He looks over from the television and straightens a little, lowering his feet from the coffee table. The cat looks up at me too and I can't help but smile. I love animals. He pats the couch next to him and I cautiously approach and take a tentative seat. I see his eyes flicker to the bruise on my shoulder, the cuts on my right arm, the bruise peeking out on my hip. I fidget uncomfortably and try to cover it all up and fail.

"Are you hungry?" he asks me.

At that exact moment, my stomach growls loudly, answering his question for me. I blush in embarrassment and press my hands to my stomach, as if that will help. He chuckles and picks the cat up in one hand and moves it onto the couch so that he can stand. He takes a swig of his beer as he heads through the archway leading from the living room to the kitchen. The second he's out of sight, I lean over to hold my fingers out to the small cat. It sniffs at my hand, then purrs and rubs its face across my knuckles. I smile and tentatively pick up the cat, bringing it into my lap. It purrs loudly and lifts its front paws up to my chest. It's little claws hook into the tank top and I giggle as it rubs it's head on my jaw.

"Her name is Isabel," Levi's voice calls from the kitchen.

I startle, scaring the cat away. She bolts off my lap and into the kitchen. With a sigh, I sit back on the couch and turn my eyes up to the television, unconsciously itching under my cast. I watch the two protagonists chase a criminal down the busy streets of the city, trying not to let my mind focus on my reality right now. It's done enough thinking for the day, and right now I'm happy so I'd like to keep it that way.

After a few short minutes, Levi returns, holding two plates. The cat, Isabel, follows close on his heels, just like a puppy. I find it absolutely adorable. Levi hands me a plate piled with scrambled eggs and two slices of buttered toast. He sits down with his own plate and shrugs.

"My cooking skills have a lot to be desired. I didn't want to scare you off by attempting anything more complicated."

"This is great," I assure him with a small smile. "Thank you."

"No problem, brat," he says.

We eat in a comfortable silence, and when we finish, Levi immediately takes care of the dishes. When he returns, he picks up Isabel from the floor where I'm reaching over to play with her and drops her into my lap. I smile as she curls into a small ball of fur and purrs loudly.

"You look better," Levi suddenly says after a long silence.

I look up from the cat. He's watching me with intense, thinking eyes. There is so much emotion hidden in those grey depths, and for once, I'm having a hard time reading him. I'm usually so good at it, but tonight I guess I'm off my game. I've been too emotionally destroyed.

"Yeah, I am. Thank you," I tell him.

"Do you mind if I ask you a question?" he asks warily. "A question about Reiner."

I tense, looking over at him nervously. "You can ask, but I can't guarantee I'll answer."

"How did you become involved with him?" he asks after a moment of hesitation.

I sigh. That's not too bad of a question. I guess I can answer that one. "We went to high school together. He was on the football team, and he was smart too. You don't see that very often, and I guess that's what I fell for. He was a real charmer," I chuckle, remembering back to our high school days when I used to fawn over him from a distance. "I always thought myself out of his league, but another friend of mine, Jean, he noticed that I had a thing for Reiner, and I guess he told him. Because, Reiner asked me on a date towards the end of my junior year. We sort of clicked, I guess. He was very sweet, very nice to me. He made me happy. During my senior year though, my father found out I was dating a guy, and he kind of lost his shit. He disowned me, kicked me out of the house. Reiner took me in. He's taken care of me. If not for him, I don't know where I would've ended up."

We're both quiet for a long minute. He's obviously thinking over everything I just said. I can practically see the wheels turning in his mind. I fidget a little nervously, wondering what he's thinking about, and why that silly story even matters to him. After a while, the silence gets uncomfortable and I look for a way to break it.

"Well, thanks for all of this, but I hate to be a burden on you... When my clothes are done drying, I'll head back home and stop intruding."

He shakes his head. "You should stay here tonight," he insists. "I don't want to drive you home in the dark during this downpour."

My cheeks instantly begin to blaze and I am utterly embarrassed by it. He wants me to spend the night? Here? With him? Well, of course not _with_ him. I haven't spent a single night not in Reiner's bed since I was kicked out of my own house by my father. That thought makes me nervous, but at the same time I'm ecstatic. I don't have to go home. I can spend more time with Levi.

"You sure that's okay? I don't want to trouble you."

"It's no trouble. And you're no burden, Eren. I've told you before that I enjoy your company, and that I want to help you," he insists.

"Why?" I find myself asking. I didn't mean to ask that, but now that it's out of my mouth, I can't stop the doubt from flowing freely. "Why do you want to help me so badly? Why me?"

Levi frowns, then moves closer to me. His eyes meet mine, and he's close enough that I can see the hint of blue shining in what I thought were steel grey eyes. His voice is firm, determined, when he says, "Because I hate what that asshole is doing to you, and it infuriates me that you let him do it. I've dealt with a lot of people just like you, and just like him, in my line of work. I hate seeing someone so innocent like you get treated so horrendously." He looks at me a long minute, that determination and... something else blazing in his eyes. "Eren, you're smart, you're kind, you're funny, and you are so beautiful. You deserve someone who will treat you right, someone who won't treat you like dirt. You don't deserve what that... that fucker is doing to you. You don't deserve being driven to do _this_ to yourself." He picks up my right arm in his warm fingers, ever so lightly running his thumb across the many cuts, his touch delicate as if I were made out of glass and ready to shatter. I don't pull my arm away from him like I normally would. His words are searing into my mind, into my heart, and I feel like I can't breathe. My heart is in my throat. His words are so vastly different than the words Reiner has pounded into my skull these last five years that I feel like I'm about to shatter. Maybe I am made out of glass.

When I don't say anything, he continues, his words becoming more and more passionate. "The day you first came to visit me at the precinct, and I saw what that fucker did to your beautiful face, I was so incredibly furious. I wanted to go to your house and beat that asshole's face in. And then when you refused to press charges, when you protected him, I was so frustrated and pissed off. The loyalty you are showing your partner is admirable and commendable, but it's misplaced, Eren. Your beauty, your kindness, it's all wasted on a blonde gorilla that doesn't know what an amazing person he has. You deserve so much better than that. You deserve someone who can appreciate what an amazing person you are." He hesitates, a look of uncertainty crossing his face briefly before determination sets in again. "I can be that person, Eren. I can be that person for you. I would never hurt you. I would-"

I don't need to hear any more. His words spark something, something deep within me that I thought was long dead. Before I can stop myself, before I realize what a royally bad idea it is, I close the distance between us and press my lips to his. All of these strange emotions are bursting within me. I can't handle it. No one has ever said anything half as beautiful to me before. No one has ever made me feel like I'm actually worth something. For him to tell me that I am wasted on Reiner, and that I deserve something better... I can't even begin to describe the emotions that course through me. All I know is that I love this man, more than I've ever loved anyone my whole life, including Reiner.

Levi is surprised at first, but then his lips start to move against mine, deepening the kiss. My mind completely shuts off and my heart takes over. It's been so long since I've been kissed. It's been so long since I've been touched by somebody that I've actually wanted to touch me. I slide myself closer to Levi, and his arms wrap around my waist, pulling me into his lap. I let him. More than that, I reposition myself so that I'm straddling him. I run the fingers of my right hand through the fuzz of his undercut, then up into his longer hair. His tongue traces along my bottom lip, then he bites it softly. I open my mouth eagerly, letting his tongue slip into my mouth to dance with my own. His hands slide up my sides, his touch so soft and soothing and... I just need more of it. I never want his hands to leave my body.

Suddenly he's standing, and my feet find the floor. Without breaking the kiss, we stumble down the short hallway towards his room. My heart is pounding in my ears. Don't think. Just... do. I groan into Levi's lips as I feel his hands slip underneath my tank top. He pushes the door to his room open with his foot and we stumble inside. He breaks the kiss for only a second, just long enough for his hands to pull the tank top off over my head. I feel a sharp stab of fear and insecurity at the baring of all my bruises and scars, but I quickly suppress it.

We're suddenly falling and my back hits the bed. Memories threaten to flood my mind, but I easily suppress them. This isn't Reiner. This is far, far from Reiner. This is so much better. I want Levi like I've never wanted anyone before in my life. He hovers above me, his lips still devouring mine. I run my hands down his solid chest, then grab the hem of his shirt to pull it off over his head. Our hands work to get each other's sweats off, and I moan into Levi's mouth as our naked bodies press against each other.

Levi holds himself above me with one hand, and the other trails down my side, over my hip, and along my outer thigh. Shivers run down my spine at the delicate, soft touches. I'm so used to rough hands forcing me to do things that his light caresses drive me crazy. But suddenly, he pulls back from me, our lips parting and his hand stilling on my thigh. His face hovers just inches above mine. He's breathing hard, as am I, and when I stare into his eyes, I see a question there. He's making sure this is okay with me. He's looking for permission. I haven't had that choice in a long time.

I grab a fistful of hair with my good hand and pull him back down to crush his lips to mine. He smiles into my lips and shifts, climbing off of me to reach into his bedside table. I get a good view of his back, the rippling muscle, and the large, beautiful tattoo of a crossed pair of wings. He really is a free little bird. I stare at it in awe, before it disappears from sight as he crawls back on top of me. He has a bottle of lube and a condom in his hand. He drops the condom onto the bed, then squeezes a generous amount of lube onto his fingers.

My pulse skyrockets when I feel his fingers at my entrance. My whole body is buzzing with need. I let out a shamelessly loud groan as one of his fingers pushes into me. I claw at his back, the cast on my left arm making it a little awkward, but I am easily able to overlook it. A second finger joins the first and Levi's lips leave mine to kiss down my jaw line and neck. He suckles and bites, sending an entirely new wave of pleasure rippling through my body. His fingers push deep inside me, and then curl, messaging my passage. When they hit my prostate, I gasp, my back arching up off the mattress. My toes curl and my vision fades for a moment. My gasp quickly turns into a guttural moan. Levi growls against my neck, his lips moving up to my ear.

His warm breath tickles my ear as he murmurs, "You are so beautiful, Eren. God, you are so beautiful."

I shiver at the words, combined with his suckling of my ear lobe. When his fingers leave my passage, I whimper at the loss. But then Levi sits back to roll on the condom and uncap the lube. He spreads it along his hard cock, then suddenly he's grabbing me and rolling us over so that I straddle his hips.

"You set the pace," he tells me, his voice sultry and soft. "You are in control, Eren."

How does he know exactly what to say? I had been fighting the panic successfully, but I have to admit that it was there to begin with. Whenever Reiner had sex with me, he was always on top, me always beneath him. He trapped me between the mattress and himself, allowing for no escape and for an absolute means of dominating me. Having Levi above me felt different, I hadn't felt trapped or forced, but through my pleasure, anxiety had been lurking. I didn't fully realize it until now, now that he's offered a solution, a way out.

I smile at Levi and lift my hips above his slicked cock. I lean my hands on his solid chest and throw my head back as I sink slowly down onto his erection. His hands rest on my thighs, squeezing as I lower myself onto him. He doesn't try to grab at my hips or my waist, he doesn't grab my arms, and he doesn't lift his hip to meet mine. He's giving me full control. And I love him for it.

When he's seated fully inside me, my ass sitting on his lap, I hesitate, allowing myself to grow accustomed to his length. Leaning forward, I trail my lips along his collarbones, up his neck to his Adam's apple, then along his jaw. My hands trail down his chest to his tight abs, then up his strong arms. What this man lacks in height, he definitely makes up for in muscle. Then, in as delicate a gesture as I can manage, I cup his face in my hands and press my lips to his.

I start slow, reveling in the fact that sex can be gentle and passionate. It's like a whole different experience, and I really enjoy myself. And judging by Levi's soft sounds and the passion behind his kiss, he's enjoying it too. But eventually my need and lust take control and I work him harder, faster. He loses control himself, his hands moving up to my hips as his own hips lift to meet mine. The grabbing doesn't even register as something to be afraid of. In fact, I love it. I'm so lost in the feeling of him inside me, in the fact that for the first time in a long time sex feels _good._ I'm getting close to my own climax when I decide that I'm done being in control. I want Levi above me. I want him to take control, I want him to dominate me. It's all I've ever known, and I want it from Levi as well.

I roll us back into the position we started in and wrap my legs around Levi's waist. He looks surprised and before he can protest I grab a fistful of his silk black hair and pull his head down so I can whisper in his ear, "Fuck me."

He growls into my neck and grabs my hips, lifting them off the mattress so he can hammer into me, his pace fast and hard. My shameless moans and cries fill the bedroom, mixing with his own as he nears his climax. My fingers claw at his back, at his beautiful wings as he hits my prostate over and over. A burning heat grows in my groin, and with a loud cry, I come, covering both our stomachs. He doesn't last much longer.

"Fuck, Eren!" he cries into my neck as he comes, his movements slowing and his whole body shaking.

The room is silent save for our heavy breaths, and the pounding of my heart in my ears. My whole body is singing, riding the high from my earth shattering orgasm. I can't move, I can't think, I just lay there as Levi presses a soft kiss to my lips before standing and heading into the bathroom. I'm glad my mind isn't working at the moment. It keeps my normally negative thoughts from filling my head. Instead, I'm happy, genuinely happy, for the first time in a long time. I am truly content.

Levi returns with a damp, warm washcloth and tosses it onto my stomach. After I clean myself off, Levi flips off the lights and crawls into bed with me. Neither of us says a single word. We don't have to. Levi's arms wrap around me, pulling me into his warm embrace. I haven't been held like this in a long time either, and it makes me even more happy, if that's even possible. I nuzzle my head against his chest, listening to the beat of his heart and the patter of rain on the windows as I drift into the first peaceful sleep I've had in years.

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><p><strong>Okay so first things first, I have to say that I kind of feel nervous about this chapter because of Eren's unfaithfulness. I normally don't condone cheating in any form. BUT... I feel that this situation is different than Eren merely cheating on Reiner. This relationship is by far not normal, and I feel that it's because of the nature of their relationship, that Reiner drove Eren into Levi's arm. I mean, that's what this fic is all about, right? So I'm sorry if this unfaithfulness is not something people would normally do in Eren's situation, or if it seems unrealistic that an abuse victim would so willingly jump into someone else's bed. Those are my thoughts on the chapter anyway, so please (without hate) let me know how you feel about it, whether you agree or disagree.<strong>

**Anyway, only two more chapters left guys! This story is starting to wind down, and honestly that makes me a little sad because I love it so much :(**

**zoey04ereri. tumblr. com**


	7. Freedom Don't Come Free

**Early update?! Yes! Early update! Merry Christmas guys! With all the love I got over the last chapter, I decided you guys deserved an early update, and on Christmas (Levimas!) no less!**

**And let me just say, wow guys! I didn't expect to get the responses I got from the last chapter! You all seemed to feel the same way I did about the situation, that Eren didn't really cheat on Reiner because there was no trust between them to be broken. NOW THAT BEING SAID... don't freak out about the beginning of this chapter. Remember, Eren is so far under Reiner's control that he's not going to just brush what he and Levi did as okay. Please just bear with him as he figures everything out. I promise this chapter is the climax and turning point of his abuse, and his perspective on his relationship with Reiner is starting to change. That's all I feel I can say without spoiling things, so yeah. Hopefully you enjoy this chapter.**

**Oh and sorry if there are any typos or mistakes in this chapter. I did my edits on this chapter yesterday after only getting an hour of sleep due to my redeye flight to Florida ._.**

**Also, to the reader who commented asking about whether Eren would receive all of Reiner's property if Reiner went to jail: That question will be answered later :) Sorry to answer that here, but unfortunately I can't reply to guest comments.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 7: Freedom Don't Come Free<strong>

I wake to the feeling of strong arms around my waist and warm breath on the back of my neck. It wakes me up immediately, my first instinct being to get away from those arms before they hurt me. But when my eyes fly open and I see an unfamiliar room, an unfamiliar sliding glass door leading into an unfamiliar backyard, an unfamiliar black and white cat curled up in the early morning streaks of sunlight beginning to light the floor, everything comes back to me all at once. This is Levi's room, in Levi's house. These are Levi's arms around my waist, Levi's breath on my neck. It was Levi that I slept with last night. It was Levi that I betrayed Reiner with.

Horror fills my entire being. What have I done? I'm in a relationship with Reiner. I live with him, he takes care of me, he keeps me off the streets. And I cheated on him. I betrayed him. What if he finds out? He'll surely kill me, and he'll kill Levi. I can't let that happen. This was a mistake. A horrible, terrible mistake. That is what my mind tells me, but my heart aches at the thought. I remember every second of last night in clear, beautiful detail. How can something so wonderful have been so wrong? But it was. I betrayed Reiner.

Levi is still asleep. The clock on his night stand reads **5:49AM**. Levi will probably be waking up soon to leave for work. I need to be gone by then. Long gone. I don't want to leave him, I don't want to leave this man that loves me in ways Reiner never has, but I have to. I don't have a choice. Carefully, ever so carefully, I lift Levi's arm from around my waist and slowly rise from the bed. Standing beside the bed, I stare at Levi's peaceful, sleeping face for a long moment, my heart seizing. Tears burn in my eyes as I leave the bedroom, silently as possible. I'm still naked, and I quickly find the dryer and remove my clothes from yesterday. Pulling them on, I find my shoes by the door to the garage.

I see a notepad and pen sitting neatly beside a phone on the kitchen counter, and I think for a moment about leaving a note, but what would I say? This was a mistake? Sorry for leaving? Don't call me? I can't say any of that... So I hurry from the kitchen and out the front door of Levi's house. I'm grateful that it's not raining at the moment as I pull on my shoes and start running. I don't really remember the route Levi took when he drove me here yesterday night, but he lives in the same neighborhood, so as I run, the street names become more and more familiar until I end up on mine. I follow the empty street, running back home to my partner who beats me bloody, away from the man who cares for me. What a twisted world I live in. What a tragic life I have. But this is how it has to be. I can't just leave Reiner. He's done too much for me over the years. I've already betrayed him enough as it is. This is how it has to be. This is how it has to be. I repeat the words like a mantra, over and over as my feet carry me down the street, but it doesn't change the fact that my heart is breaking. I left it back with Levi, in his bed, encompassed by his warm embrace. But this is how it has to be.

Tears are streaming down my cheeks, and the skies open up to match my current mood by the time I reach Reiner's house. I take deep, calming breathes as I open the front door and walk inside. I hold my breath. It's completely quiet, save for the sound of Titan trotting down the hall to greet me. I burry a hand in the fur of his scruff and listen. But I don't hear any sign of Reiner. Maybe he already left for work. I sneak through the house, looking, then head upstairs. He's not here. I let out a loud, relieved sigh and grab my phone from the alcove where I left it last night. No missed calls, no texts. Reiner didn't try to contact me once last night. I drop the phone onto the bed and collapse back onto the unmade covers. Titan stares up at me, his head tilted to the side and his tongue lolling.

My mind is swimming with despairing thoughts. That very familiar numbness of depression, the depression that had disappeared completely last night, creeps back into my mind, completely enveloping me. It swallows me whole, like a dark, dank cavern swallows the light. It's crippling, the pain I feel. But when is depression not crippling? When is it not painful?

I try to decide what I need to do. The smart thing would to be to remove Levi completely from my life. His very existence promises me a life I can't have. He let me out of my cage last night, and I ventured with him beyond the walls, but that can't happen again. I don't belong out there. But will I be able to forget about him? I'll never be able to forget that taste of freedom he gave me, the taste of a normal life. I'll never be able to forget the way he held me and caressed me and loved me. My façade has been shattered, the lie revealed, and I'll never be able to go back. I'll never be able to put the man that has stolen my heart behind me.

I think about going to the 3rd Precinct right now, to apologize and to tell him everything. I want to tell him why my face was bruised that first time I went to visit him. I want to tell him what really happened the day I fell down the stairs. I want to tell him what happened last night before I took off into the rain. I want to tell him what's been happening on a regular basis for the last five years. But I can't. I can't turn Reiner in. I can't survive without him.

I stop fighting the crippling depression and I let it consume me. Crawling off the bed, I head into the bathroom and remove my comfort from beneath the lip of the counter. Sitting in the corner of the bathroom, my back pressed into the corner of the wall and tub, I drag the cold metal across the skin of my right wrist and wait for the comfort to wash over me.

...

Reiner wasn't as mad as I thought he'd be when he returned from work. He grabbed the collar of my shirt and threw me to the ground, but he didn't yell, he didn't hit me, he didn't punish me at all. I don't know where he thinks I went last night, but I don't question his lack of curiosity and I sure as hell don't fill him in.

He practically ignores me for the next week, only acknowledging my existence to randomly lash out or to fuck me. I enjoy the limited contact, and I try to do everything perfect to keep the silent treatment going. I can't help but think about Levi a lot more than normal as I carry on my normal life. I made it a point not to be outside during the times he's usually running to and from work. But right from the start, I knew I wouldn't be able to remove him completely from my life. He's like my drug, my addiction, and I knew I'd eventually give in, and after a week, I do.

I'm nervous, my heart racing, as I cross the street towards the precinct. What do I even say to him? Do I apologize? Do I try to explain without telling him anything about my relationship with Reiner? Does he even want to see me? What if I've ruined things between us? What if he doesn't care about me anymore? What if he doesn't want to help me?

I push through the doors into the lobby anyway. Petra is behind the reception desk today, and she smiles when she sees me, but it's a sad smile. "Is that from your accident?"

I look down at the cast on my arm before shrugging. "Yeah, I tripped and fell down the stairs," is my automatic, blurted response. "It was an accident." I think about how often I say that sentence. It should be my catchphrase. That and 'I'm fine'.

She shakes her head. "You need to be more careful, dear. Levi should be at his desk," she tells me, then I hear the buzzing click of the door. I pull it open and make my way up to the top floor.

My heart seizes when I see Levi seated at his desk, running a hand through his black hair as he stares intently at the computer screen in front of him. He looks so professional and perfect in his suit, his badge hanging from around his neck and his gun holstered at his hip. My mind supplies me with images of the body beneath that suit, of the hard lines of muscle and the beautiful tattoo across his back. Eld is sitting at the desk pressed up to his, also looking stressed. I hesitate. Suddenly I can't do this. I'm too afraid to face him. I still don't know what to even say to him. I turn on my heels to head back to the elevator but a voice stops me in my tracks before I can even take one step.

"Hey, Eren. What'd you do to your arm?" It's Eld's voice, shouted across the room. There's absolutely no way Levi didn't hear it, since he's sitting right across from Eld. He might not have noticed my presence then, but he definitely does now. There is no backing out now.

I slowly turn back around and force on a smile. Levi is staring at me in shock, but then carefully schools his emotions back under control. He has a calm expression on his face, as if nothing happened a week ago, as if nothing has changed, as if my life hasn't been completely turned upside down. I walk up to their desks.

"Hi, Eld," I say, forcing the words out. It's hard to think with Levi sitting right there, just a couple of feet away from me. "I broke it falling down the stairs a few weeks ago. It was an accident." There it is again, my catchphrase.

"I haven't seen you in a while, brat," Levi's voice says, forcing me to focus on him. How can he stay so calm and collected? How can he appear so disinterested while I'm standing here barely able to breathe? "I was starting to worry something happened to you."

"Nothing happened to me," I tell him, trying to chose my words carefully. "I've just had a lot on my mind. A lot to think about."

He nods. I know I'm going to have to give him a better explanation than that, but I can't while Eld is sitting right across from him, and while we're surrounded by other people. At least he doesn't appear to hate me. I'm great at reading people. He seems genuinely pleased to see me, even if it doesn't show on his face.

Levi stands and, for once he doesn't grab a file, and this time instead of leading me towards the interrogation rooms, he leads me in the direction of the elevators. I want to ask where we're going, but I can't find my voice right now. I'm still nervous about being around him. It isn't healthy for me, it isn't healthy for my relationship with Reiner, but I can't help my need to be near him.

He leads us into the stairwell and down one flight of stairs into a hallway lined with doors. The hallway curves at the end, and in the back of my mind I wonder where it leads to, but then Levi is pushing open one of the doors. I notice that they all have a sign hanging from them, a few saying 'open', others saying 'closed'. Levi flips the sign on the door he holds open for me to the 'closed' side. He flips on the lights before closing the door behind us. It's a small room with a large rectangular table surrounded by chairs. A few computers sit on another table that sits against the left wall. The other two walls hold large whiteboards.

"We use these rooms for debriefings, conferences, highly sensitive cases, etcetera," he explains, taking a seat in one of the chairs. "For those reasons it's the most private area we can be in. No one can monitor us and no one will interrupt."

I nod, but hesitate before slowly taking a seat. His eyes are on me, I can feel it, but I can't return it. The tension in the room is thick, and it's giving me anxiety. I fidget with my hands in my lap, suddenly wishing I had brought Titan so I could bury my hands in his ruff. That always seems to comfort me.

"Eren..." Levi murmurs after a few tense moments. His voice is so soft and soothing, but I still can't bring myself to look into those intense blue-grey eyes. "I want to apologize for what happened that night."

That does make me look up. I'm so confused... Why is he apologizing to me? Was what happened unfaithful? I think so. Was it a mistake? Yes, although it doesn't feel like one. Was it wrong? I guess so. But do I regret it? I really don't. I don't regret what happened, and I especially don't want him to apologize for it. I open my mouth to say just that, but he speaks first, elaborating.

"I was completely unprofessional and I violated every moral and every regulation in the book, and I am sorry. You were in a vulnerable position and I took advantage-"

"You're wrong," I interrupt him. I look back down at my hands, unable to face the deep emotions in those captivating eyes of his. "How can you be unprofessional and break regulations if we don't have a working relationship? I don't have an open case here. You're not investigating me, or Reiner. You are... you are a friend, who just happens to be a detective, and I just so happen to visit you at a police department. And... you didn't take advantage of me. Yes, I was emotionally strung out, but I... I wanted it to happen."

It's silent for a long minute and, eventually, I can't take it any longer so I look up. He looks mildly surprised, but also amused. "You may be right, but it was still morally and ethically wrong. You're in a relationship. I shouldn't have allowed what happened to happen."

"It takes two people to fuck, Levi," I retort. There's this fire burning within me, melting away my nervousness and loosening my tongue. It's like I'm drunk. Being alone with him does strange things to me. But I like it. "I'm just as responsible as you are. But you know what? I don't regret it. I'm glad it happened. You make me happy, Levi. And I haven't been happy like this in a long, long time."

That surprise in his eyes grows at my crudeness, but as I speak, it fades into amusement, and then into a sad kind of relief. I can read him like an open book, but I feel like he's letting me. He's not trying to hide how he feels around me. I remember distinctly how closed off and unemotional he appeared when he was conducting that interrogation, and when he was talking to Reiner when we first met, and when he's around others in the office. He's letting himself go though around me, and it doesn't help to douse my feelings for him in the slightest.

"You know I'm never going to stop pressing you," he says, and I know exactly what it is he's talking about. He means Reiner, and the nature of my relationship with him. "Especially considering what you just said. You deserve a more permanent happiness than that one night."

"I know..." I murmur. "And maybe I'll tell you about it sometime. I'm just... I'm not ready yet." Why am I saying this? I can never tell Levi. I can never betray Reiner like that. But I also said I'd never cheat on him either...

He sighs and runs a hand through his black hair. I want to run my fingers through that soft hair too. "Just, don't wait until it's too late, Eren."

I nod, but I can't promise him anything. I want to promise him everything, but I can't. Not now, anyways.

...

For the next few weeks I go and visit Levi at the station regularly. The awkwardness has fully dissipated, but my feelings for him definitely haven't. Sometimes I bring textbooks, not just criminology ones either, and he helps me understand them. Sometimes I don't bring anything and we just chat while he works on cases. One day, I arrive just in time to see a full interrogation, which I find absolutely intriguing and captivating. Levi is like a predator, stalking his prey. The prey is cornered and knows the predator is there, but also knows it has nowhere to go. It really is a treat to watch, just as everybody says.

Our relationship stays completely platonic, and I notice how Levi is careful not to even touch me in any way. I feel comfortable in his presence though, safe even, despite having to return home to Reiner's fists every day. I know that I have the power to end that though, whenever I choose. Levi is patient with me, and I know that he'll be ready to take my statement if ever I decide to give it. It makes me feel strong, like I have a power over Reiner, even though he doesn't know I have it. It's causing me to become more bold with him, which really only serves to earn me more bruises. I also become more bold with my phone usage, and I occasionally text Levi. He's usually quick to respond, except while he's at the precinct. I haven't dared call him yet though, because I don't know how to delete calls from the call logs like I can with text message conversations. But texting him or seeing him every day is good enough for me.

I also get more adventurous with visiting Armin and Mikasa. I go over to their houses, and I invite them here to mine. Armin helps me more with my self-schooling and continues to fill my head with thoughts of taking classes at Trost Community College. One night, I even invite the two of them over to dinner, which earns me a beating as soon as they leave. But I was just happy that I managed to get through a whole evening in the same room as all three of them without having a panic attack.

It's a cloudy Tuesday morning, and it looks like it's about to rain again as I walk into the 3rd Precinct. Gunther immediately buzzes me in, barely even looking up from his computer screen. I pull the door open and take the elevator up to the fourth floor. I'm in a good mood today, humming to myself even as I ride the elevator up. Armin had visited me this morning and had dropped off a catalog of courses being offered this coming semester at the community college. I had eagerly flipped through it, highlighting all the ones I want to take. It sits in my backpack, along with Reiner's Juvenile Delinquency textbook.

But the second I step off the elevator, I know that something isn't right. It's a tick in the back of my mind- one that has grown very sensitive since I moved in with Reiner- that makes me recognize the tension thick in the air. Something is off, and I hesitate by the elevators, unsure on whether I should stick around or not. Maybe it's a bad time. But then I hear a beautifully familiar voice above the others. It's angry, shouting strings of curses mixed in with the occasional command. Levi is upset, and I suddenly have the strongest urge to try and comfort him.

When I step into the open room, my eyes immediately find Levi and Eld. My eyes go wide when I see the huge stain of blood across the front of Levi's button down shirt and suit jacket. My heart seizes. Is he hurt? What happened? Is that blood his? But he doesn't appear to be hurt. His demeanor is angry as he yells at Eld. Well, he's not yelling _at_ Eld, just yelling _to_ Eld. Erwin is also there and, just like Eld, is trying to calm Levi down. I hurry over to them.

"What happened?" I ask Levi as I approach. "Are you okay?"

The full force of the fury in his eyes turns on me. I freeze where I am. "Do you remember, when you first came here to visit me, I told you about the case I was working?" he demands. His voice is hard, angry, and it unsettles me.

"Y-Yes," I stutter. "The domestic violence victim..."

"Yes. Well we just got called out to a report of gunshots. He fucking shot her. He finally fucking did it," he snarls. "We were too late. She died in my fucking arms, and there was nothing I could do to help her. She fought me, just as you are doing, Eren. But I will _not_ let you die in my arms as well. I will not."

He's fuming, his hands clenched into fists and his eyes burning in anger. He turns then, and his fist slams into the wall. I flinch at his sudden show of violence, but it seems to do the trick in calming him down as he leans both hands on his desk, letting his head hang as he simply takes deep breaths. It always calms Reiner down as well, after a few punches, usually to my flesh. Levi exhales, closing his eyes as he shakes his hand.

"Fuck that hurt," he breathes, then finally looks at me again.

I can't... Seeing him covered in that woman's blood, blood her husband spilled, knowing that she went through the same thing I'm living now... Will that happen to me? I know I've always entertained the thought of Reiner finally killing me and ending my misery, but now I feel like I have more to live for. Levi cares for me. He just said that he doesn't want me to die like his victim did. And, with this reality slapping me in the face, I realize that if I keep this up, if I keep living like this, I could end up just as dead as Levi's victim, and that thought genuinely scares me.

I back away from Levi. I can feel my brain shutting down. Just like any other time I get too stressed or anxious, my mind goes completely blank and I revert back to what I know. I need to get home. I need to get home to Reiner. Once I'm back behind the walls, everything will be better. I just need time to think. That's all. I need to think. I need to...

"Eren!"

It's Levi's voice, and he's calling after me as I run to the stairwell and down the stairs two at a time, but it feels like it's miles away, barely an echo in my mind. I don't stop. I don't turn around. I don't say a word. I just run. I run down the stairs. I run out of the precinct. I run down the street. I can't think. I don't want to think. I don't want to die.

When my mind finally catches up to itself, I'm curled up in bed, staring at the wall, listening to my phone buzz and buzz and buzz... The incessant sound hasn't stopped since I got home. I glanced at the caller ID the first two times, and although I don't have Levi's number saved, I knew it was him calling. But I can't answer it. I can't talk to him right now. I just need to be alone to think. The images of Levi covered in his victim's blood, of him punching the wall, of the pure frustration and anger in his steel grey eyes all play out in my mind. I just want them to stop.

Reiner's home. I hear the sliding glass door open, then close. I hear the tromp of his footsteps coming up the stairs just as my phone stops buzzing. No... I was supposed to have more time. It can't be that late, can it? I was supposed to have more time to think, more time to build up the courage to go back to the precinct and tell Levi everything. My heart is in my throat, but I don't move. I don't even breathe as he opens the bedroom door. I was supposed to have more time...

"God, my boss was really on my ass today," he complains, more to himself than to me. He never talks about work with me. That's a separate life for him. "I need to relieve some stress. Roll over."

I don't move. The last thing I want right now is his cock in me. I don't want to deal with him at all, actually. Levi's words are sinking in now. The whole situation back at the precinct, the whole situation with the domestic violence victim... She refused to tell Levi what was happening. She refused to press charges against her husband. Now she's dead. I don't want to end up like her. I was supposed to have more time...

"Are you deaf, you little shit? I said-"

He's cut off by the sound of my phone going off again. Shit. He hesitates, and that's all the time I need to snatch up the phone and vault off the bed. My heart is threatening to punch through my ribcage, my pulse pounding in my ears. What the hell am I doing?

"Eren!" he bellows, chasing after me.

I don't think, I just run. I sprint down the stairs three at a time, then slam into the front door of the house, not having gotten it open fast enough. I throw the door wide and take off down the porch steps. This is it. I'm going to make a beeline for the precinct. I'm going to tell Levi everything. I won't let Reiner kill me. I'm done being trapped behind these walls. If I have to live on the streets, then fine. I just want to spread my wings and be free. I want to-

Something slams into my back and I sprawl forward onto the cobblestones of our walkway. Before I can push to my feet, two hands grab me and drag me back towards the house. I kick and scream, trying to do everything possible to get away from Reiner. But it's no use. He's too strong. He drags me back inside and slams the door shut, locking it and the rest of the world out behind it.

He's on top of me, hitting me and hitting me. He's screaming at me, but most of it is lost to me, my focus being solely on his fists, beating the shit out of me. He's demanding to know who was calling me. He's demanding to know who else I'm fucking behind his back. I can't help it. I spit out the secret I had been clinging to for far too long, a secret that has been eating me alive.

"Levi!" I shout at him, in response to both of his questions.

By the way his hands falter, and the look on his face, he knows that I was answering his questions. He opens his mouth, but before he can ask, I elaborate. I don't know where all this courage is coming from, but I'm convinced that it's going to get me killed.

"I've been fucking Levi! _Detective_ Levi Ackerman."

The expression on his face goes from shock to complete fury. His face burns red against his blonde hair, and suddenly he's hitting me harder than he's ever hit me before. Also unlike other times, I fight back. Twisting under him, I roll onto my back and slam a fist into his face. He recoils only slightly, not enough to get him off of me though, so I bring my knee straight up into his crotch. I take his brief moment of pained shock to wiggle out from underneath him and scamper down the hall. I don't move very fast though. Something is wrong with my right leg. I only make it to the kitchen before he catches up to me. I watch him as he grabs a knife from the block on the counter and makes his way towards me.

It's like everything moves in slow motion. I try to scramble back away from the knife, but my back hits the island, giving me no escape. Reiner continues to stalk towards me, raising the knife. This is it. I'm about to die. Reiner is going to kill me, and I'll be the second victim of Levi's to die today.

Levi. The revelation hits me like a ton of bricks. My phone is vibrating in my hand. Levi is trying to call me. I don't know what hope I have that he'll actually get here in time to make a difference, but I fumble to answer the call.

Just as I'm pressing the button, a mass of tan and black fur comes flying at Reiner from my right, snarling and barking. Titan's teeth latch onto Reiner's left arm, distracting him just long enough for me to scramble away from Reiner. He's cursing loudly as I crawl down the hallway. I hear Titan yelp and whimper, then Reiner's heavy footsteps are running up behind me. I quickly throw open the door to Reiner's office and dive inside, shoving it closed and leaning my full weight against it, my feet against the desk as leverage.

_"Eren? Eren?!"_

My phone is on the floor a foot from my knee, Levi's voice barely audible from the device. Just as I lift a hand to grab the phone, Reiner slams into the door. It opens slightly before slamming shut again. I quickly reach up to lock the door, not that it'll help much. Reiner has had actual training on how to break down doors. I reach for the phone and press it to my ear.

"Levi, Reiner has a knife," I breathe, my voice a whisper. It cracks though as tears start to stream down my cheeks. "He killed Titan. He's going to kill me. He's going to kill me..."

"_I'm on my way, Eren_," he says, his voice thick with worry. "_Stay on the phone, okay_?"

"Okay-"

The phone flies from my hand as Reiner slams against the door again, making it buck against my back.

"Open this fucking door!" Reiner shouts at me, pounding on the door.

"No!" I shout back.

That only serves to infuriate Reiner further though. The doorknob rattles and shakes, and the door jars as Reiner tries to force his way in. I reach my foot out to slide my phone back towards me. Holding it tight in my hand, I wait until the door stops shaking for a moment. Reiner's backing up to throw his shoulder into the door again. I move to the side of the door and a second later, it flies open as Reiner barrels through. I hurriedly make my escape.

Something is wrong with my knee. I limp back down the hall towards the kitchen. Titan is laying there, next to the island. He's still, not making a sound, with blood pooling beneath his tan fur. My heart seizes, but I focus my attention in the knife block on the counter. Before I can get there though, Reiner reaches me. I spin around, reaching for knife. The sound of sirens reaches my ears and hope fills me, but then...

I've never felt a pain like this before. I'm used to the heavy, dull pain of a bruise, the deep pain of a broken bone. This pain is sharp, concentrated. I'm in shock, and I think Reiner is too, as he just stares at me, his eyes wide. I slowly look down at my chest, at the knife embedded there, buried half way to the hilt. My knees hit the ground and I rock back onto my heals. I can't feel my legs. I can't feel my anything. It's like my consciousness has left my body. Either that or my brain is shutting down, trying to ignore the pain, to tune it out. My hands are shaking as they hover near the hilt of the knife. I can't breathe. I cough, and taste blood in my mouth, the hot fluid trickling from my lips. I fall, landing on my back on the cold tile. This is it. I'm going to die.

I'm vaguely aware of the front door slamming open. I hear shouting, and out of the corner of my hazy vision I see someone force Reiner to the ground. And then, a pair of beautifully familiar blue-grey eyes are hovering above me. There are scared, disbelieving. I reach up to touch that face as he fusses over me. Eld tosses him a dish cloth. Levi presses it to my wound around the knife, applying pressure.

"Levi..." I force past my wheezing lungs.

"Shh, don't say anything. You'll be alright. An ambulance is on the way." His voice is shaky, panicked.

"He attacked me first," Reiner's voice suddenly speaks up. "I was acting in self-"

"Shut the fuck up!" Levi snarls at him. He starts to stand, his fists clenched and his eyes blazing in fury, but I don't want him to leave me. I force my fingers to fist in his shirt. He stops, his hands falling back to my chest. "Get him out of here."

"Le-" I try again, but am interrupted by a cough that splatters my chin and lips with blood.

"Don't you dare die on me, Eren," Levi growls at me, pressing harder against my chest. His eyes are so scared...

I can't feel anything anymore. I lose all feeling. My hand drops from Levi's shirt and my vision fades. His face grows blurrier and blurrier. I try to focus on his eyes, trying to stay conscious for him. But it's a losing battle. The darkness is dragging me under and I can't fight it. My brain is shutting down completely. It's detaching me from this horrible, painful reality. My last conscious thought as the darkness consumes me is that I really hope I get to see those beautiful blue-grey eyes again.

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><p><strong>I'm sorry! Please don't hate me! I know, I know, horrible place to end the chapter. But I will promise you guys that next week's update (and the last update) will be early as well. I'll be on a plane all morning Thursday, but I will get it posted Thursday night because I will be at Sacanime all day Friday through Sunday. This is my first con, so if any of you are in Cali and are going to be at Sacanime, look for me! I'll be cosplaying as Eren on Friday, Levi on Saturday, and Jean on Sunday. If you don't know what I look like, I have pictures on my tumblr :) zoey04ereri. tumblr. com<strong>


	8. Beyond the Walls

**The final chapter guys! *takes deep breath* *promises myself I won't cry* Enjoy!**

**Oh, and yes, this chapter is in Eren's POV. YOU GUYS REALLY THOUGHT I COULD KILL MY POOR BABY EREN? *gasp***

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><p><strong>Chapter 8: Beyond the Walls<strong>

Everything is so... foggy. I guess I'm not dead after all. Death isn't supposed to be this uncomfortable. My limbs are all so heavy, my eyelids refuse to cooperate, and... can someone please stop that incessant beeping? It's giving me a headache. Everything comes back to me slowly. I remember being at the precinct, Levi covered in blood. I remember running home. I remember Reiner getting mad at me. I remember... a knife. Reiner was trying to kill me. He stabbed me. He stabbed Titan too. My heart seizes as I remember that, the poor dog laying in a pool of his own blood. Tears burn behind my eyes. I also remember Levi, his eyes so scared, panicked. His voice was so unsteady. I've never heard it like that before.

After what seems like forever, my mind finally pulls out of the last dregs of unconsciousness. It's only then that I manage to coax my eyelids to open. The white light is blinding at first and I cringe. But my eyes soon adjust. I lift a heavy arm to rub at my eyes.

Someone is suddenly at my side, and long fingers wrap around my hand. I look up to see those blue-grey eyes that I had wished to see again. They are full of relief and... love? It makes the obnoxious beeping speed up.

"Hey..." I croak, a crooked smile pulling at my lips. I feel so... alive, so cocky right now. Maybe that's on the account of me almost dying. And maybe I'm just really happy to see Levi.

"God damn it..." he breathes, running a hand through his hair. "If you ever scare me that badly again, I'll..."

"You'll what?" I question, lifting one eyebrow. Is it the drugs making me this giddy?

He doesn't answer. "The knife came within two millimeters of your heart," he tells me. He holds up a hand, the tips of his forefinger and thumb impossibly close together without touching. "You came this close to dying."

"That's pretty damn close," I reply. "But here I am, alive to annoy you another day."

"Brat," he snorts, trying to sound amused. But then his expression grows serious and he crosses his arms over his chest. I notice then that he has changed his clothes. He's wearing a clean suit, his badge and gun still prominent. Is he on the clock? How long have I been out? "You partner has been arrested on charges of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon," he tells me, his voice cautious.

My giddiness dies instantaneously. That one sentence brings my entire world crashing down. I know that I had been ready to tell Levi before Reiner attacked me, but it almost doesn't seem real. What am I going to do now? What's going to happen to me? The walls that have surrounded my life for the last five year are crumbling. My cage is suddenly open. And once the shock starts to wear off, I find that I'm actually... happy. I have no idea what I'm going to do now, no idea where I'm going to go, but I can figure that out when I get there. Right now, I'm starting to get a taste of my freedom, and I want to spread my wings. But first, I need to get over the top of those crumbling walls.

"It wasn't an accident," I murmur, not looking at Levi. "When I fell down the stairs. He pushed me. Every bruise you've ever seen on me, those weren't accidents either. He hit me. All. The. Time. If I didn't clean well enough, if I didn't exercise, if I said 'no' to him, if he was in a bad mood, if he was drunk, if he just felt like hitting something."

Levi's eyes are wide for a moment, but then he's pulling out a small notepad and a pen from his pocket, and he diligently takes notes.

"He used to tell me he loved me, and at first he would apologize after every time he hit me, promising he'd never do it again." I let out an annoyed laugh before continuing, "And I believed him. I'm such an idiot. I got so attached to him. I let myself become too dependent on him. I believed him when he said he loved me, and I believed him when he said he was sorry and that he'd never hit me again. I should've left after that first time. I shouldn't have forgiven him. But I felt like I owed him something for taking me in and taking care of me. God, I'm such an idiot."

"This isn't your fault, Eren," Levi says quietly, yet firmly, not allowing for any argument. "This was never your fault. He deceived you, and he broke you down. He betrayed your trust. It's not your fault."

I don't respond to that. I don't really believe him right now, but maybe one day I will, once I finally move past Reiner and everything he's done to me these last five years. "I don't know what I'm going to do now, Levi," I murmur, bringing my hands up to cover my face. "The house is in his name, and so is the car, the bank accounts are all his, I don't know a single password, a single PIN number, I don't even have a driver's license because he wouldn't let me get one."

"Well, it will be easy for us to prove to the court that you were domestic partners since you've lived together for five years. That should allow you to transfer all of his assets to your name following his felony conviction. I know you are listed as his next of kin, so that could also work in your favor," he explains to me.

"Really?" I breathe.

"Yes, but that won't be able to happen until after the trial," he says. Then he grows quiet and hesitant. "Trials are lengthy though, especially felony trails like his, so if you'd like, you can stay with me until his trial concludes. Or, for however long you'd like, really."

My momentary surprise slowly fades into relief. Levi has already done so much for me, and now he's helping me out even more. He's teaching me to how to fly on these new wings of freedom. He's guiding me over the walls. I can barely contain my happiness as I reach up and grab his shirt, pulling him into a tight hug. My chest stings at the movement and pressure, but I easily ignore it. When he pulls back slightly, I press a soft kiss to his lips.

"Thank you," I murmur.

"I'll do whatever I can to make sure you're happy," he promises me, his voice thick with determination.

His phone beeps, interrupting the moment. He straightens as he reaches into his pocket to pull out his phone. His eyes scan the screen.

"Well, there is just one small thing we'll need to work out first," he says, walking towards the door.

I frown. What is he talking about? I start to get worried as he steps out of the room, but he returns a moment later. I gasp and my eyes widen as he leads Titan into the room. He's wearing a police K-9 flack, and walks with a limp on his front right leg. The dog starts to wag his tail furiously with a small whine. I'm crying now, but I don't care as Levi lifts the heavy dog carefully up onto the bed. I hold out my arms to Titan and he whines again, curling up on top of my legs and stomach with his snout pressing into my armpit. I laugh as I pet his head and pull at his ears.

"If anyone asks, he's a K-9 dog with the 3rd Precinct," Eld says from the doorway. He must've been the one to bring Titan here. I offer him a big, teary grin.

"Well he was a bomb sniffing dog for the ATF before he broke his leg in a training accident. That's when Reiner adopted him," I explain, running my fingers through his long fur.

"He's a good dog," Eld says.

"He is. He's the reason I'm still alive," I reply, my voice soft. Titan wines again and licks my face.

Eld leaves, leaving Levi and I alone in the small hospital room.

"After the ambulance took you away, I noticed he was still alive, so I rushed him to the vet. He came just about as close to dying as you did. He had just a little more wiggle room," he jokes, holding his fingers up again, this time with a little more space between them.

"He attacked Reiner," I tell him. "Reiner picked up that knife and came at me with it, and Titan attacked him."

"Like Eld said, he's a good dog," Levi agrees. "The only thing we need to work out is how he'll get along with my cat." A smile pulls at his lips, which is how I know that it won't really be a problem, no matter my answer. We'll make it work however possible.

"He loves cats," I reply. "As long as you don't have bombs in your house, there won't be a problem."

"Good," he replies. "Unfortunately I have to get back to work, and I'm going to have to take Titan with me. As far as the hospital knows, he's our dog. I just came by to check on you and to talk to Hanji. Your doctor."

"You'll come back though?" I question, perhaps a little too desperately.

"Of course. I'll be back after my shift, I promise," he says, helping Titan down off the bed. "And don't worry too much about things, Eren. I know that this will be a big step for you, learning how to be independent. But I promise you that I will help you any way I can. So don't worry. Right now just focus on healing."

I nod, offering him a soft smile. "Thank you, Levi. For everything."

"And thank you for trusting me, brat."

...

"Aaah, L-Levi... Harder! That's it... Fuck! Ungh! Aaaah...!"

My voice echoes through the room, shamelessly loud. Levi is bowed over me, his teeth biting at my neck as his hips jack hammer between mine. His lips move up my neck to my own lips, muffling my obscene words. His hands on my thighs push my legs back, holding them apart as he fucks me. His cock hits my prostate, over and over again, pushing me closer and closer to the edge. One of his hands, the one he's not using to hold himself up, wraps around my cock and he starts to pump me in time with his thrusts. I gasp into his lips, my back arching up into his body. His lips move back down my neck, biting and sucking, most likely leaving my skin covered in red marks. It doesn't take much longer for him to bring me over the edge, and I come with a loud cry, burying my hands in his hair. He moans into my neck, giving a few more quick, sharp thrusts before his movement slows and he shudders.

"Fuck," he growls as his orgasm washes over him. He doesn't move for a long minute, and then mumbles, "Fuck," again before kissing my neck and rolling off of me.

I watch through heavily lidded eyes as he pads into the bathroom to clean himself up, watching that beautiful tattoo disappear. When he walks back into the bedroom, he tosses me a damp rag.

"Good morning, by the way," I tease, cleaning myself off.

"Good morning," he chuckles, pulling on a clean pair of black boxer briefs.

"I still think you should call in sick to work," I tell him, rolling onto my side and propping head up with my elbow on the pillows.

"You have class this morning too," he reminds me, pulling on a deep red button down.

"Not until nine though. Okay, at least play hooky until then," I beg.

He just rolls his eyes at me as he pulls on his black slacks. "You know I can't. Erwin is too much of a hard ass. Besides, today is the last court date for your trial, which means the verdict will be announced. I don't know what time that will be, so I'd like to finish my work as soon as possible so I can go to the courthouse."

"Oh, that's today?" I ask with a frown, sitting up on the bed. My hand moves to my chest to trace the scar there, just below my heart.

It's been three and a half months since Reiner was arrested, and I've been trying not to think about him or the trial whenever possible. Levi had warned me in the hospital that the trial would be a lengthy one, and it definitely was. But today Reiner will receive his verdict. Today, it'll all be over. There is no way they'll acquit Reiner. All of my hospital records for the last five years were presented, along with my testimony. And he was caught in the act the night he almost killed me.

Over these last few months I've been living with Levi, and I think that's the main reason why I've been able to handle everything so well. He's been my rock. When I first got released from the hospital, I slipped into a bit of a depression. Everything was suddenly different, and I was suddenly no longer under Reiner's tight control. It was hard for my psyche to adjust. But Levi held my hand every step of the way, and now I feel like a whole new person. I got my driver's license, got a part time job as a waiter, and when the semester started three weeks ago at Trost Community College I enrolled in two classes. I've also started going to therapy, paid for by the city of Trost as part of some sort of victim recovery program, and it has actually helped me more than I thought it would. I've been trying to support myself as much as I can, but Levi has helped me when I've needed it. But as soon as this case closes and Reiner is convicted, I'll have access to his bank accounts and will be able to pay Levi back every penny.

It was hard getting up on my own two feet at first. I still am trying to get used to my new wings, and not being surrounded by an impassable wall. Levi is a good teacher though, and he continues to nudge me in the right direction. It's a weird feeling, walking through town and knowing that I don't have to race home to beat Reiner there, knowing that when I get home I can talk to my partner like a normal human being. It's weird doing what I want, when I want, and not have to fear being punished for it. I had slipped up a few times at first, instinctively flinching whenever I made a mistake, expecting to be hit. Levi did his best to calm me down though and reassure me that that part of my life is over.

Levi and my relationship progressed awkwardly at first, considering he was the lead detective for my case, but it didn't take him long to pass my case off to Detective Oluo Bozado, a funny man who keeps biting his tongue for some reason. He's a great detective too, but fortunately my case was open and shut, and it was soon off to the district attorney's office for prosecution. Once that happened, the status of mine and Levi's relationship became public knowledge throughout the department, although a bunch of people seemed to have already figured it out on their own. I introduced Levi to Armin and Mikasa, and they often come visit us at Levi's house, or we go visit them at their houses. All in all, I don't remember a time when I was happier than I am now. Everything is turning around, and it's a great feeling.

"Yes, that's today," Levi says, answering my question. "The trial begins at eight. I'll keep you updated as it progresses."

I nod, stretching my arms into the air. I pull on a pair of sweatpants before padding out into the kitchen to feed Titan and Isabel. The two have already become best friends, which makes me feel like this was all meant to be. The small black and white cat follows Titan around like a lost kitten, never leaving his side. I pour their food into their respective bowls, then riffle through the cabinets, looking for cereal.

I'm trying not to think about what is going to happen today. I try not to think about how the final chapter of my life with Reiner, a life spent living in fear, is about to come to an end. Today Reiner will be convicted, and I'll finally be able to close that door behind me for good. It's a nerve wracking feeling and I'm suddenly not hungry. I head out into the family room and plop down onto the couch, grabbing my history textbook off of the coffee table. I have studying I need to be doing anyway.

"I'm taking off," Levi tells me as he enters the front room, adjusting his suit jacket on his shoulders. He walks over and presses a kiss to the side of my forehead. "Have a good day at school, and try not to worry too much."

Sometimes I forget how well he can read me. I nod, looking up at him. "Have a good day at work. Be safe. Call me when they read the verdict."

He nods and presses a kiss to my lips before heading towards the kitchen and beyond it to the garage. I try to follow Levi's advice, but I can't. I'm just too nervous.

...

When my second class lets out at noon, I check my phone for any messages from Levi. Still nothing. He said he'd keep me updated, so the fact I haven't heard anything from him must mean that the verdict hasn't come back yet, right? With that thought in mind, I look up the bus schedule and hop on the one that'll take me the closest to the courthouse.

There isn't much activity at the courthouse on this overcast Tuesday afternoon. At least it's not raining right now, like it has been all morning, and most of this last week. Pushing though the glass doors, I walk up to the front desk. The attendant looks up at me, her expression one of absolute boredom. The court marshal behind her doesn't even look up from his newspaper.

"Is the trial for _People v. Reiner Braun_ still in session?" I ask her.

She turns to her computer and types away lazily at the keyboard. I tap my fingers on the desk out of nervousness, and she glances over at me out of the corner of her eye before looking back at her computer screen.

"The jury is out for deliberation," she replies in a droll voice. "Courtroom 214A. Do you know how to get there?"

It's the same courtroom they've been using for the entire trial. I've been in and out of it many times over these last three and a half months. "Yes, I know where it is. Thank you," I say, heading towards the security checkpoint, then towards the stairwell. I'm too nervous to deal with the elevator right now.

When I get to the courtroom, I quietly push the heavy wooden door open and sneak inside. My heart is hammering in my chest. I can feel a slight shaking in my hands. I look around the small court room. The jury is gone, as is the judge and prosecutor. Reiner is there though, sitting at the defendant's table with his lawyer, talking in hushed voices. I look away from him quickly. He didn't notice me come in, and I hope he never does. The galley is much more packed than I expected though. It seems that everyone is turning out for the verdict. On the defendant's side, a couple of suits sit close to the front. I recognize two of them as Annie and Bertolt. They must all be Reiner's coworkers from the ATF. A few younger people sit in the back with backpacks and notebooks, probably students sitting in for a college assignment. On the prosecution side of the aisle, a few detectives and police officers sit on the benches. I recognize a lot of them as people I've grown close to at the precinct: Connie and Sasha, Marco, Ymir and Krista. Jean sits next to Marco, his arm draped over Marco's shoulders. I smile. That's my doing right there. Mikasa and Armin are even here to my surprise. They sit next to Jean, talking quietly with him. I'm honestly touched by how many people are here to support me.

Mikasa keeps glancing over at Reiner with a scary glare on her face. I'm not surprised. She was furious when I first told her the truth about what's been happening these last five years, and she really beat herself up over not noticing sooner. Armin did too. But I've finally managed to convince them that it's not their fault. It's mostly mine. I did a very good job of covering it up.

I finally find Levi, sitting in the back row, his arms crossed over his chest. He looks serious, brooding. He's just as nervous as I am, he just hides it with an unapproachable mask. I slide onto the bench next to him, and he looks over at me.

"How long has the jury been out?" I ask, my voice just above a whisper in the quiet room.

"Over an hour," he sighs, running a hand through his hair. I love it when he does that.

He catches me staring and looks over at me. He smiles slightly, but then grows serious. "Are you okay? I know how hard it is for you to be in the same room as him." He says 'him' with a gesture of his chin in Reiner's direction.

I look over at the back of that blonde head, then look back down at my lap with a shrug. "The first time I saw him in court it was much harder. Now... It'll never be easy, but it's getting better. And, this will be the last time, right?"

"Well if he's convicted there will be a sentencing trial to determine the length of his sentence. You don't have to go to that if you don't want to, but you will be allowed to speak before the judge if you chose to."

I shrug again. "I'll figure out if I want to go to that when the time comes."

He smiles at me again, taking my hand in his and interweaving our fingers. "You've been so strong these last few months. I'm very proud of you, brat."

I smirk at him and press a kiss to his cheek. At that moment, the door in the front of the room next to the jury booth opens and twelve men and women file into the room. I suddenly can't breathe. This is it. My anxiety skyrockets, along with my pulse. Levi's hand tightens in mine and I shoot him a glance. He's staring straight ahead, his eyes focused. I remind myself that he's just as nervous as I am.

The judge enters behind the jury, and the prosecutor enters from the back of the room. Everyone takes their seats and the judge calls the court to order.

"Has the jury reached a verdict?" the judge asks.

The first juror stands, holding a paper in her hands. "We have, Your Honor."

Breathe. Just breathe. There's no way they'll rule in Reiner's favor. The bailiff takes the paper from her and walks it over to the judge. The judge reads it, then nods before handing it back to the bailiff who takes it back to the first juror.

"On the charge of one count assault with a deadly weapon, how do you find?"

"Guilty."

"On the charge of one count attempted homicide, how do you find?"

"Guilty."

"On the charge of twenty-four counts domestic abuse, how do you find?"

"We find the defendant..."

I hold my breath and squeeze Levi's hand.

"Guilty."

All of the air leaves my lungs in one large gust. That's it. It's over. I'm completely free. I'm only half aware of the people starting to surround me, clapping me on the shoulders, ruffling my hair, congratulating me, as if I just won an award. I'm further reminded of exactly how many people care about me and support me.

"The defendant is remanded to Rose Federal Prison pending sentencing. The jury is hereby dismissed. The court thanks you for your service," the judge says, then slams the gavel, officially ending this long trial.

I still can't get to my feet. The congratulations continue and Levi stands. "Give the brat some space," Levi demands of them, but it's light. He's smiling. He's as happy as everyone else is.

Reiner hears the commotion in the back of the courtroom, and turns to see me sitting there. My eyes meet his, and I see something in those blue eyes that makes me stand. As the court marshal takes his arm to lead him out, he pulls back against the marshal.

"Eren," he says to me and I suddenly can't breathe again, but for a whole different reason.

"Get him out of here," Levi snaps, moving to block my view of Reiner. But it's really just a gesture, because I can still see over his head.

I move aside from Levi though. I'm feeling really strong right now. And he's been convicted. He can't touch me anymore. There's nothing he can do to hurt me now.

"Eren, I'm sorry," he says, and I see actual sincerity in his eyes for the first time since we started dating.

I don't know why Reiner is suddenly so apologetic. He had been hurting me for five years. Why is he sorry now? Is it because he's now facing prison time for it? Is it because it's not our little secret anymore? Maybe now he finally sees how wrong he was. Whatever his reason though, he seems genuine, and he's watching me with worried eyes, as if he's praying I will accept his apology. My hand comes up to trace my scar through my shirt, and I remember the look of shock on Reiner's face when he stabbed me. I have the strongest urge, the strongest desire to not accept his apology, to blow him off and walk out of this courtroom without another word. He's had _five years_ to realize that what he was doing was wrong. He's had _five years_ to apologize and stop hurting me. I want him to sit and suffer in prison, thinking that I hate him and that I will never forgive him.

But I can't. Despite everything we've been through, there was a time when I loved Reiner, and I can't deny the very small part of me that will always care for him. It might be Stockholm Syndrome, or whatever the hell my textbooks talk about. I might be brainwashed. He could be completely shitting me, just toying with me in the only way he can now. But whatever the reason may be, and whether he is sincere or not, I do care for him, so I can't just walk away from him like I so desperately want to.

I take a few deep breaths, then look him straight in the eye and say, "I accept your apology." I take another deep breath. It's ridiculous how hard it is for me to say this, for me to say what needs to be said. This is the first time since he was arrested that I've actually directly talked to him. That also means that this is the first time we've talked as equals, without me being afraid of him hurting me, without me being under his control. "And maybe one day, I'll forgive you."

He looks relieved as the marshal drags him out of the courtroom. And as hard as that was to say, I feel better for it. It feels like that was our little bit of closure. Now, I can fully move on with my life. I don't even feel the need to speak at his sentencing trial.

"That was strong of you, Eren," Levi says softly. He takes my hand and leads me towards the doors. "Erwin gave me the rest of the day off, so let's go home."

"Yeah, home," I smile, letting him lead me out of the doors and into the rest of my life.

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><p><strong>*tries not to cry* *fails* *bawls like a baby* It's over guys! I know this one is pretty short, but I'm really sad to see it end. I really enjoyed writing this one and sharing it with you guys. I might write a sequel to it one day, focusing more on Eren's life with Levi after Reiner, but I won't make any promises. I'd want it to show his recovery process, because it's not an easy thing to get over. It takes a lot of work, a lot of patience from loved ones, a lot of therapy, and a lot of time to get over domestic violence, and I think that's an important thing to show. But whether or not I actually get around to writing it, we'll see.<strong>

**I want to thank all of you for reading this, and I want to give an extra thanks to everyone that commented and shared your opinions/feelings of this story. It was a very emotional story and I know it really touched me to write it, and I was happy to see that it touched a lot of you as well. So thank you for reading and commenting and giving kudos! They meant a lot to me.**

**As a final note on this story, to any of you who are suffering through domestic violence now, just know that there are people out there that care about you and that want to see you safe and happy. Also, you can call the national domestic abuse hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) (United States). Or message me on tumblr (zoey04ereri. tumblr. com). I can't promise that I'll be able to help you as much as I want to, but I will listen if you need to talk. ****Nobody deserves to live through abuse. And if any of you know anyone who is living through domestic abuse, please be patient with them, and let them know that they have loved ones that care about them and their safety.**

**Again, thank you all for reading! If you like my writing, feel free to check out my military AU ereri fic I'm working on. I also might have another ereri fic up soon, but we'll see if I can stop changing things long enough to post it XD**


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